RWBYN
by Arch-Daishou
Summary: Tribute to Monty Oum: Death and a second chance to life. Remnant, a new path but not taken alone. New foes and challenges as one story ends and another begins... -Postponed till the series of RWBY is complete.-
1. Even the dead can get second chances

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or RWBY

Co-author & Beta: Etheral-23

Co-Author & Action scenes: Godospartan the kitsune

Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto

RWBY belongs to Monty Oum / Roosterteeth

Tribute: I give thanks to the creator of RWBY. You are remembered and your legacy lives on Monty Oum.

 _Jutsu_

 _Thoughts_

 **Demonic voice**

 _ **Deity Voice**_

Chapter 1: Even the dead can get second chances

A long groan rumbles through his throat as a thirteen year old Naruto Uzumaki feels a light breeze shifting over his clothes and hair. Damn it, when the hell did Sasuke knock him out? One of the many thoughts racing through his mind as he soon feels his body lying not in water, or solid ground, but gravel.

Despite how heavy the blond's eyelids feel, he wills them to open. At first his sight is nothing but blurry images and shapes as he takes his right hand to rub his eyes. When his sight adjusts, tiredness is replaced by utter bewilderment. Still lying on the ground, Naruto lifts his head looking up a dark starry sky filled with purple clouds moving at an even pace.

Sitting up, the blond takes notice he is indeed on a large gravel road with a luscious grassland flowing evenly in the wind. The road looks like it could go on for miles as Naruto only looks wide eyed at his current surroundings.

"Where… Where the hell am I?" Slowly standing, Naruto puts his hands to his mouth; "Sasuke..!"

XxX ~ moments ago ~ XxX

" _Even if I have to break every damn bone in your body! I am dragging you back home Sasuke!"_

" _You're special Naruto… But I'm more special than you…"_

 _CHIDORI_ _!_

 _RASENGAN_ _!_

"… _No… Not like this… NARUTO!..."_

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Massaging his temples, the blond Uzumaki shakes his head. Why did that teme look so sad? Lowering his hand, the blond freezes as he gazes down to his chest. Stillness claims his very being as his eyes show absolute shock at seeing the fist-size hole in his sternum.

' _ **Mouri paske ou fox jenn gason.**_ _ **Ankò li ki te pa la**_ _._ _ **…**_ _(Death came for you fox boy. Yet it was not intended.)'_

Upon hearing a smooth strange accented elderly man's voice, Naruto's head shot up as he quickly looks around. "Hello!"

' _ **Fè yon ti avanse tèt ou. Nou pwal rankontre gen...**_ _(Keep your way forward little one. We shall meet there...)_ ' another but deeper strangely accented voice speaks in his mind.

Glancing mournfully at the hole in his chest, the blond Uzumaki looks ahead with steely eyes as he begins running down the gravel road. It's so strange; he should be feeling pain shouldn't he? Do you really feel nothing after you die?

He shakes off the thought to keep focus, absently he glances around him. If his mind wasn't racing with so many questions he'd admit this place is beautiful. Besides the vast grassland, Naruto sees hills, trees, even a forest off in the distance.

' _ **Admire ti gason chat. Men, pa patisipe oswa ou ka pèdi la pou toutan**_. _(Admire fox boy. But do not partake or you be lost forever.)_ '

The smooth elder voice echoes in his mind for which he responses; "How can I understand you Jiji?"

He hears a good natured laugh from both the elderly voice and the deep voice; ' _ **Sa ap paske nou kite nou. Vini non n' a ou pral aprann.**_ _(That be because we let you. Come and you will learn.)'_ The deep voice responds.

In the distance, his cerulean eyes take notice of a large bonfire at a four-way intersection. Around the bonfire he sees four logs, for what people would use for sitting. On them the blond sees two men sitting on two separate logs, watching the fire.

On one log, is an elderly dark skinned man, maybe around Sarutobi-Jiji's age, wearing a long white sleeve shirt with a red vest over it. Black pants and black dress shoes, over his bald head is large brim straw hat, a cane leaning on the log while a lit pipe in his mouth.

Sitting on the log to the elderly man's right, is a taller dark skin man wearing a long tailed black coat. A top hat resting on his long black dreadlocks, black pants, and dress shoes. Black rim shades cover the man's eyes as he hold a bottle of liquor in his hand. His face is painted with a bone white color made in patterns made to resemble a skull.

Slowing his running to a walk, Naruto stops as both men shift their gaze to him. Both soon sigh in tired exasperation before looking to each other muttering dryly in their odd accented language. All he could hear is 'here we go again' and 'same one keeps breaking out of cycle'. Whatever the hell that meant.

The elderly man gestures for the blond to sit beside him; " _ **Lòt gason chat. Nou pale koulye a.**_ _(Rest fox boy. We talk now.)_ "

Seeing he has nothing else Naruto walks over sitting beside the elderly man; "It is so weird how you guys talk but I know what you're saying." Both men chuckle till seeing the melancholy form on the blond boy's face. "Are you guys the Shinigami?"

" _ **Nou pa gen chèf moun nan Mas la. Men, mwen tou Seyè a mouri.**_ _(We not be the boss man in the mask. But I be also the lord of death.)_ " The taller man let the words sink before gesturing to himself. " _ **Baron Samedi…**_ "

"There's more than one," Naruto tilts his head blinking. Both men nod as the blond sits a little bit more straighter. He looks to the elderly man; "you a death god to?"

At that, the elderly man smiles; " _ **Ti chat pa gason. Men kote sa a... Kafoua pou mwen. Sa pral fè rive kote tout domaines ak mondes rankontre. Men, ou fox ti gason ou pa ta vle rete isit la.**_ _(No fox boy. But this place... The Crossroads be my kingdom. This be where all realms and worlds meet. But you fox boy, you not meant to be here.)_ " The blond's eyes widen as the man speaks again; " _ **Papa Legba.**_ "

' _I'm… I'm not supposed to be here?'_ At that Naruto could only humorlessly chuckle; _'I can't even die right. This fucking sucks.'_ Freezing up, Papa and Baron see the blond unzip his orange coat, and reach for the hem of shirt. But before he could check the Kyuubi's seal, Papa's hand stops his.

" _ **Li a ankò. Chat gwo wa a wete men dispersés koulye a. Pwal gen yon tan anvan li retounen.**_ _(He be gone. Big fox king be free but scattered now. Will be a time before he returns.)_ "

A small gleam of hope shines in his cerulean looking into Papa's ruby eyes; "So furball won't just start destroying everything right now?"

Baron shakes his head; " _ **Gwo chat wa pa vle retounen pou yon ti tan. Men, ki toujou kite nou.**_ _(Big fox king won't return for a while. But that still leaves you.)_ "

Tilting his head, Naruto looks to the two gods; "Don't I just go to the underworld like everyone else who dies?" He cast his cerulean eyes to the hole in chest, "I can't believe Sasuke killed me…"

" _ **Mwen te di, li fè sa ki pa gen lide pou touye ou. Verite li te genyen, li te sèlman siyifi nan rete ou.**_ _ **Sou mwen kwè bagay nan men l' chwa ki dwat, li te itilize tout sa ki montre se li ki te pi fò. Men, ou mouri pa sa li vle.**_ _(I did say, he did not intend to kill you. Truth was, he only meant in stopping you. Upon believing in his choice was right, he used everything to only show he was stronger. But you dying was not what he wanted.)_ "

Nothing but shock crosses Naruto's face. Sasuke didn't really want to kill him? All that crap he said about ending his life for that stupid Mangekyō. So there maybe is hope for him after all. His thoughts are interrupted by Baron; " _ **E pandan ke wi.**_ _ **Ou ka deside pou ale kote mò yo ye a. Sa pa gen pou fè chwa w yo sèlman.**_ _(And while yes. You could decide to go to the afterlife. That does not have to be your only choice.)_ "

Naruto lifts a brow as the death god continues; " _ **Menm jan nou te di ou ti. Ou te pa siyifi vini isit la. Men, verite a ou nan crossroads la. Ou ka rete vivan ankò. Men, pa nan vye lavi ou. Sa pòt fèmen.**_ _(As we told you little one. You were not meant to come here. But the fact you be in the crossroads. You can live life anew. But not in your old life. That door be closed.)_ "

Both gods see the boy slump for moment before sitting back up straight. He can never become Hokage, or keep his promise to Sakura-Chan. But given the choice in either remaining dead or live again.

The choice was obvious.

"Heh, well I guess I can make a Kage rank in wherever you guys send me," Naruto smiles brightly which Papa Legba and Baron Samedi soon do the same.

Lifting his bottle to his lips; Baron takes a swig of his drink before lowering back to his side; " _ **Si gen yon bagay nou vle konnen timoun, mande koulye a, ou mouri gen pou yo fè, men, ou kapab pi piti plis sou sa**_ _(If there be something you wanna know kid, ask now, your life there be done with, but you can at least know more about it)_ "

He stared silently into the fire, pondering on what to ask. There were many things he wanted to know, most of them concerning his own life and that of his friends, but one stood out from among all others. He wanted to know about his parents, the people he never knew but was always told by Jiji they loved him. It wasn't enough, not nearly enough. He had no connection to them, nothing to make him miss them, and he ached for one, to feel love for the two people he never knew.

"Can you… can you tell me about my parents?"

Raising his left hand, Papa places his index finger on Naruto forehead. A gasp rips from the blond's lips as he sees them… He finally sees them, but who he sees is completely unbelievable. The hero who fought in the third shinobi war. A man so deeply feared and hated in Iwagakure and Kumogakure. The man he idolized since he first learned of him from Jiji.

It is then that realization, terrible realization as to why the Yondaime, his father, Minato Namikaze, put the Kyuubi within him. Every fiber in his being wanted to hate him, curse Minato's name to the darkest depths of hell. But he couldn't, he finally understood why. The pain and tears in his father's eyes as he held him as a baby.

" _I love you my son…_ "

New images flood into his mind. An ancient clan, long vibrant crimson hair that flows in the wind. The deadliest swords woman and Anbu captain of Konoha. Who fought in the shadows of the third war. A legend that rivals his father's, but kept well hidden. Tears of pure joy streaming down her eyes learning she was with child. Love and warmth radiating from her velvet eyes, looking at her swollen belly.

" _Sochi…_ " his mother's voice soft, warm. He could feel it, he could feel his mother's love just from those words.

Naruto gasps, falling off the log and onto his hands and knees as Papa removes his finger from the blond's forehead. Overwhelming, it is the only word for the tsunami of emotions crashing through his entire being. Happiness, knowing his parents loved him. Confusion as to why no one even told him who his parents were, or that he has a clan. Why was this kept from him? Gnashing his teeth, he soon only seethes with absolute rage.

"…Who killed my parents;" Naruto's voice low as his bangs shadow his eyes.

" _ **Yon moun san konprann ti gason.**_ _ **Mal ak en, tout pou li viv nan yon peyi nan dòmi. E kouri soti nan verite a. Calcul l' va tande, ak anba jijman Bondye.**_ _(A foolish boy. Misguided and misled, all so he live in a dream land. And run from truth. His reckoning will be heard, and judged.)_ "

Taking in Papa's words, Naruto releases a deep breath, his anger fading as sits up on his knees. Tears run from his eyes, as his face remains blank. "Good," the blond says softly. Composing himself as he uses his forearm to rub away his tears, Naruto sits back beside Papa Legba. "I can never see my dad again can I?"

Both gods shake their heads as Baron talks; " _ **Li fè fèmen a kle ale nan tèt moun nan vant plen Mas la. pa gen moun vin tounen lè sa acte fè.**_ _(He be lock away within boss man in the mask's belly. no one come back when that deed done.)_ "

"Wh… What is this place..?"

Naruto froze, that… That couldn't be, could it? The blond neither registers or take notice in both Papa and Baron snickering as he turns to his left. Ankle length crimson hair almost flowing like a curtain in the small breeze.

Her velvet eyes show nothing but profound confusion as she gazes up at the dark starry purple sky above. The wind shifting her high-collared, sleeveless blouse under a long, loose-fitting dress. Her black hair clip holding the left side of her hair framing her round face. Looking back to the ground, the redhead turns seeing a massive bonfire, and three figures looking her way.

Seeing the smallest of the three her body stiffens, It would not matter how old he is… Tears prick her widen eyes as her lower lip quivers to a tearful smile, She would know her son anywhere. Naruto did not even realize his own tears were falling as his mother, Kushina Uzumaki, wrapping her arms around him, on her knees in front of him.

Tipping his hat, Papa Legba only smiles of the mother and son's reunion before him. " _ **Sa te kapab yon bon vi eh vye zanmi?**_ _(That be a good sight eh old friend?)_ "

" _ **Chanje pa toujou yon bon bagay, yon fwa milyenyòm yon fi, de.**_ _(Change of pace is always good, once a millennium or two.)_ " Baron nods while taking a swig of his liquor.

Kissing the top of her son's head, she looks to the two deities; "Who are you two? How am I seeing my sochi?"

" _ **Sa nou kite yo pou ti gason ou pou pi ta. Kounye a biznis nou tout ap diskite.**_ _(That we leave to your boy for later. Now business we all discuss.)_ " Baron's serious tone making mother and son detach from their hug, looking directly at the two gods. " _ **Nou te bay òf pou timoun ou. Viv nan yon lòt moun.**_ _(We gave an offer to your boy. New life in a new world.)_ "

Kushina bit the side of her lip, She did not imagine the hole in her son's chest when she saw him. Which even now she fights herself from crying more. " _ **Men, pa vle di li ale tout pou kont mwen dam.**_ _(But does not mean he go all alone my lady.)_ "Cerulean and velvet eyes widen to Papa's words. " _ **Boon nou bay sa yon fwa. Lavi nou nou rèstore pou yon lòt lavi.**_ _(Boon we give this once. Your lives we restore for a new life.)_ "

However before either Naruto and Kushina could cheer, Baron interjects; " _ **Men, lavi ki te restore an ap vin jwenn yon pri. Se pou ou vin plis pase sèlman moun.**_ _(But life restored comes to a cost. You must become more than mere human.)_ "

Rising to his feet while grabbing his cane. Papa Legba puts his left hand into the bonfire. Pulling back Two medium size azure flames float above his hand. He turns facing the mother and son with stern expression. " _ **Èske ou se vre wi: konprann? Nouvo lavi men nouvo selves. Moun mwatye, lòt mwatye yon bagay lòt moun. Sa ap pri a.**_ _(Do you truly understand? New life but new selves. Half human and half something else. That be the price.)_ "

Turning her gaze to her son, she watches Naruto as he looks to the ground. With a deep breath, his gaze is steely looking straight at the lord of the crossroads. "I never go back on my word Papa-Jiji. I know my mom agrees, as long as I can be with my mom. I accept the price dattebayo!"

' _Dattebayo, you really are my child…'_ Kushina smiles before look to Papa Legba; "Like sochi said. I accept the price to be with my son."

Slowly nodding his Papa smiles along with Baron who speaks; " _ **Tankou granmoun mouri anvan. Ou ap fè fas a difisil nan lavi ankò. Men yo pat fè chimen pou ou mache. Nou pral wè kote ou l...**_ _(Like old life before. You face hardships in life anew. But hardships make the path you walk. We shall see where you walk it...)_ "

Those words said; the two flames descend from Papa Legba's hand and into Naruto's and Kushina's body. In that instant everything went black.

The Baron looks where the mortals used to be with a somewhat bored look. " _ **Fènwa deja gen twòp monnaie gen... Ann mete tout espwa mòso nouvo sa yo ka ede ka kondi li tounen**_ ( _Darkness already has too many pawns there... let's hope these new pieces can help drive it back_ )

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

The first thing Naruto hears as consciousness stirs is the sound of birds. "…Did they seriously had to drop me face first?" the blond mumbles in the dirt grumpily. He feels every inch of his body protest as he shakily rises up to his feet. Upon the attempt to opening his eyes, the blond groans closing them due to the bright glare from the sun.

Raising his hand to rub his eyes Naruto freezes. The second time he opens his eyes, the blurry haze vanishing, the blond Uzumaki could see everything so clearly. But that wasn't what was bothering him, his body felt… really strange, like he had extra… limbs he shouldn't really have.

"What is this..?" He suddenly stiffened as he felt something strange on his rear. Arching his neck to get a better view, he saw the source of his sudden unease.

It appeared he had a tail now, a long puffy blond furred tail... WHAT THE HELL?!

His mental freak out vanishes hearing a groan behind him, "Sochi..." Sharply turning, Naruto eyes grow the size of dinner plates at the sight of his mother.

Looking exactly like he had seen her in the Crossroads, but with some major additions like his, she sits up. Like Naruto, Kushina has now a long red puffy furred fox tail which sway from side to side. But he also sees two red furred fox ears on the top of her head. Reaching up, no longer feeling his human ears, he now feels his own version of fox-like ears on top of his head.

He shuddered slightly as he felt his fingers stroking two sensitive furry appendages. Testingly, he snaps his fingers and winces at the close sound that slightly hurt his newfound ears.

That settled it, today couldn't possibly be any weirder...

"Ohhh" He heard his mother gushing as she reaches to pet his ears. "You look so cute!"

Either she hadn't noticed or cared, her tail wraps around Naruto's waist, plopping him on Kushina's lap as she just giggles at her son's newfound cuteness. Her velvet eyes show nothing but joy petting her son's fox ears, but seeing the hole in his chest is gone.

Only a scar remaining

Sadness and melancholy was reflected on them as she stared into his own. "We... truly are together now" She lets out shaky breath as her arms enclose around him. "We have a chance to have a life now, as a family"

The reality of the situation hits the blond as he only nods to his mom, rubbing away the tears. "...Yep." His voice hoarse as he hugs his mom who returns it. While the blond was not much for religion. He can say now he is a believer. ' _Thank you... Papa-Jiji, Baron-Jiji..._ '

Holding her son tightly, the redhead Uzu woman soon takes a notice to their surroundings. They are standing right in the middle of a dense forest of red-leafed trees. Their newfound senses catching at least a dozen different sounds and smells, some were too intense for them and found themselves somewhat overwhelmed by it all.

Even the grass they are sitting on is red; "Okay... This place is cool," Naruto says absently. Both stand as now finally, Kushina notices her fox tail.

"Um... So we're Kitsune now eh... Awesome dattebane!" The Uzu redhead watches her long tail sway.

"Joy..." The younger Uzumaki's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Spent most of my life tied to a fox, now I get to be one... But I was just dead moments ago so shouldn't really be complaining at all"

Kushina winks; "Never sweat the small stuff sochi." She looks around; "we better go find some food and shelter before looking for any signs of civilization."

Naruto takes a look at their surroundings. "Where do you think we are?"

"No idea" His mother replies. "But we'll find out eventually"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Leaping through the trees, mother and son find a large lake after an hour. At the water's edge both drool seeing the fish swimming around. Naruto moving for his kunai pouch on his leg, his mother stops him. He looks at her quizzically as she smirks.

"Why use a kunai when I know water nature," Kneeling down she puts her hand on the surface of the water; "My father taught me this."

As she was about to close her eyes, Both Naruto's and his mother's fox ears stand perfectly upright. Slowly both look left while sniffing the air; "What is that... It smells... wrong," Naruto whispers.

Kushina rises to her feet beside her son also whispering; "Will find out, it's coming this way."

Walking past a large boulder both glare as it appears. Twice the size of a normal man, a large black furred humanoid wolf moves to the lake, sniffing the air. But what unnerves them is the bone-like mask with red markings on its head, and the bone spikes protruding from their arms, back, and knees.

Everything about this creature feels so off, wrong. Then it red eyes shift to them. With a start, the creature's roar split the air, quickly changing from migration to battle. Rushing to the two new humans in the area, the creature jumps and scratches the boulder, causing it's strike to lead off from actually hitting the two, whom jump in different directions away from it.

Turning to the one that had more power within them, the large wolf-like humanoid monster charged Kushina, the red-haired woman swiftly flipping over the monsters head and instinctively reaching for Kunai, only to find none. "Shit!"

Though as she lands, her son races past and jumps up, opening with a heavy drop kick to the creature's skull. However, the creature was unmoved besides the quick recoil of the kick, leaving it chance to swat Naruto away with its huge claw, throwing the blonde into the boulder behind him.

Roaring out, the creature soon was being surrounded by more of its kind, all jumping from the trees or moving through the bushes. Kushina scoffs in irritation. "Sochi, get up, We need to stop playing around here!"

Shaking off the cobwebs, the blond Uzumaki snarls before putting some chakra into his limbs. The large wolf humanoid swings at him with its claws, he ducks soon landing a punch at the creature's stomach.

Both Naruto and she are in shock seeing the beast flying fast and hard into a tree. Upon hitting it the tree, it snaps and falls on top of the beast. "... Holy shit" was the only thing that comes from mother and son's lips.

Snapping out of their shock, the two Uzumaki's jump out of the way of the entire pack coming at them, splitting them up. Using his chakra' infused fist, Naruto quickly slams a punch into the head of the wolf creature nearest him. Though the creature was not as affected by his strength, its body hits the ground flat.

Flipping over two wolves, Kushina dodges their flanking strikes and lands on one's head, grabbing its mask and pulling to the side, a heel crushing against the back of its neck. Though its body did not yield, it roars in pain and turns, falling over and thrashing around to kick her off. Finding no way to tear the thing's head off, the red-headed woman jumped off it to duck under another's claw. "What does it take to kill these things? They aren't like anything I've faced before!"

Pausing for a second, Kushina dashes forward at two of the wolf creatures. As both take a swing at her, the redheaded kitsune woman slide under one the beast as they freeze up. Standing back to her feet both wolf monsters are sliced into pieces as Kushina sighs. " _Kaze no Yaiba_ (blade of wind). Use jutsu on them Sochi!"

Time almost stands still as her eyes widen to a large shadow looming behind her. Slowly turning the tallest humanoid wolf stands over her. Instincts kick in as Naruto dashes for his mother.

As the creature raises its claws to slash her, a fist covered in blue flame slams into the wolf monster sending it flying. The blue flame soon engulfs the creature as it hits a boulder. It roars in absolute pain before its body turns to ashes.

A stunned Kushina looks an equally shock Naruto, looking at his hand now coated in blue fire. "W-What the hell was that?" He mutters in both confusion and amazement as the fire vanishes.

Acting swiftly, Kushina jumps over one wolf and grabs it by the shoulders, rolling on its back as it stands up to try and grab her, only for the momentum to flip it into the air, Kushina's strength rising it up and throwing it into its pack, bowling over two of his buddies as all three burn with fire.

Ducking under another wolf, this one charging back, Naruto grabbed it's ankles and tripped it, slamming it into the ground before jumping on its back and punching it's spine in, the creature trashes as it's back is broken. As the blonde finishes it off, another two jump at him.

Jumping up, Naruto slams both feet up and grab the creature's arms, blocking their strikes and kicking both in the face. This causes the two remaining wolves on Naruto to fly back. As they roll back up, Naruto generates a perfect Rasengan in his hand, "Let's end this!"

Raising her right arm, a rasengan encased in blue appears in her palm; "Could not have said it better Sochi!"

Dashing forward, both mother and son slam their respected jutsu into the monsters; _Rasengan_ _!_

The last of the two monster wolves roar in pain before sent flying, their bodies being torn to shreds. Their bodies began to evaporate in a dark smoke.

Seeing no more monsters both Naruto and Kushina slump to the ground looking up towards the sky. Catching their breath, the redhead Uzu speaks up; "all in favor of getting lunch now say Dattebane."

"Dattebane," Naruto mumbles.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

The smell of the trout roasting over the fire his mother had made was simply irresistible for them. Naruto took a bit of one of the roasted fishes on a stick. "So" He mumbled in between bites. "I headbutted the bijuu out of him but they didn't make me chūnin. None us became chūnin really, only Shika got promoted"

While Kushina was very impressed of his son's accomplishment, she does notice how certain areas of his skills weren't what a proper Genin's should be. She had thought that someone at least would have made sure to teach him in more detail. For Jiraiya, she knew even when she was alive he was doing his spy network back then for Minato. But Kakashi, she knew why he kept his distance. She can only hope he finds himself again.

There was one thing in particular she did noticed one thing he lacked; "Sounds to me like you know how to think on your feet, but you don't really make plans or know how to lead. Those are very important things to be a chūnin"

Naruto thought it over and found she was right. "Not like it matters now..." He mumbles

The blond Uzumaki yelps being flicked in the forehead by his mother; "We might be gone from our world. But we are still shinobi. And if you want to be anything in any world, you have to know how to plan, and when a situation calls for it, be a leader."

He rubs his sore head. "Alright, alright..." They remain in silence for a few minutes. "This doesn't feel real you know..."

Kushina tilts her head; "How do you think I feel. The last time I saw you, I just gave birth to you. Now here we are brought back to life into a new world." A smile graces her lips. "Sometimes the gods can be kind, I'm not being poetic here we literally owe our new life to a pair of them" She holds him in a one armed hug. "And you can be damn sure we'll make the most of it okay?"

A small smile appears on Naruto as he nods, His mother soon winks; "Also I intend on training you to be a proper shinobi. I will put you through hell, but will make damn sure my son knows how to kick ass like a true Uzumaki."

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

As they continued their path in search for signs of civilizations, they found the lush red forest starting to clear out, whereas the forest had been home to fertile soil and a valley of mountains, now came an ample arid plain surrounded by hills and plateaus.

"Can't tell if we're just getting more lost or we are on our way to find something" Naruto mused.

Tapping her chin, Kushina rubs the back of her head taking in the view; "We might have to keep looking around before even finding a village or a town. Let's keep going."

Nodding, both Naruto and Kushina sprint away from the forest to the arid plains. Glancing around neither really saw anything but take notice in what looks like several buildings and landmarks destroyed and abandoned long ago.

"What the hell happened here?" Naruto mutters while still running.

His mother shrugs; "Could have been a war, or something like those things we fought. We'll know when we find people."

After a quarter of a mile they take notice of a massive cement fence in the distance. "At least we're getting somewhere" As they come closer the realize the size of the fence was at least three quarters the size of Konoha's own walls. The walls of their home village served to defend them from invaders, so it made them wonder to what purpose was this cement fence built. To hold back invaders or perhaps those monsters they fought?

The climbed the walls until they reached the top, from there they could see a large stone structure. Tall walls and towers that had been worn with time showed that place to have been through its fair share of fights.

Both also see a community of people living there. Their eyes widen seeing some people with some unique animal characteristics; "Are they Hanyou like us?" Naruto says quietly. Hearing no response, he looks to his mom who stares intently at not just the people but the surroundings.

"Something is off here..."

"GRIMM!" A person shouts. The people suddenly run for their homes in panic.

Naruto scratched his head in confusion. "What was that?"

Kushina shrugs. "I-I don't know. I couldn't understand that"

A few other townsfolk, armed with various weapons head for the gate. Again they speak in a language neither one understands.

Naruto blinks as he sees his mother vanish via shunshin and appear again with a strange looking double edged sword; "Saw it on a table. Least I can work with this." She hands her son a double edge blade as well; "I will teach you how to use that later." She stands look outside the wall. "Those things are back."

"Did you just steal that?"

"Son, we're ninja" She said as if that explained everything.

"So, that makes it alright?"

Kushina laughs. "Hell no, it's just an excuse we like to say. And this isn't stealing its borrowing"

At his mother's cheeky grin Naruto just rolls his eyes as he stands. Cerulean and velvet gaze steely while the few armed men and women take to the front gate and take cover behind some trenches.

"Death stalkers!" a brunette haired woman with cat ears shouts out, once more they couldn't understand the words.

They could hear a deep rumbling of multiple stake-like feet pounding over the ground, running over the great fence they went to a position that would allow them to see what was happening. They stop at the sight of dozens of giant black scorpions with multiple glowing eyes. They were two meters in length and one in width; they all had dark carapaces with white bone-like plating on the upper part of their bodies.

One stood out among them, far largest than the rest, which easily dwarfed all the other scorpions by being at least five meter in length and four in width. Its mandibles flared as it let out a foul screech.

Naruto only blinks as his tail sways behind him; "Okay... That's new..."

"Let's go sochi," The blond nods to his mother as both shunshin from their place on top of the wall.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Mary quickly loads another round in her rifle, takes aim and fires, blowing up the head of one of the smaller Death stalkers. Thanks to her feline ears she hears with satisfaction as its skull splatters in a mess of bony shards and black ichor.

To her side, a large man with an equally large mane of dark hair chuckled as he fired a mounted machine gun. "Reminds me of the first time we met" He exclaims with a wide smile, showing rather large incisors. Well, large for a human at least.

"Think there was more explosions that time Jack" She casually says while firing another round.

"Oh... Yeah," Jack lets out a laugh. "We did blow that bus half to hell HAHA!"

Mary only rolls her eyes as both keep firing. "Mary!" The cat Faunus looks to one of the militia. "Nothing is making a dent on that damn big one!"

"Then use high caliber rounds, grenades, throw one of Johnny's awful fruit pies at it-"

"Hey!"

"-but do something! I don't care what, so just-!" The brunette cat Faunus' words died in her mouth as red blur moved in between the Stalkers.

It is a woman, a redhead fox Faunus by the looks of it. She moves gracefully yet with brutality. Jumping right over one of the Death stalkers and jamming a blade over its head, killing it instantly. She dodges the piercing strike from another's tail, cutting it off in one swoop when pulling her blade out of the Stalker she just killed before severing off one of its pincers and ramming the blade through its mandibles.

Mary was about to warn her as she saw another Death stalker coming in from behind, but the woman just back flipped and crushes its head with a stomp.

"...Who the hell is that?" Jack wondered what was on everyone's mind.

"With those moves" Mary reasoned. "She's gotta be a huntress"

Jack sees a small death stalker charging, as he is about to fire at the creature it is sliced in half by what looks like a 13 year old blond haired fox faunus child, also with a basic sword in hand. The boy looks over to large man and gives the thumbs up before dashing to the redhead.

"What is today 'Take your kid to kill Grimm Day'?" He wonders.

The brunette cat Faunus shrugs "I'd mark that on my calendar when we have kids"

With little hesitation, the blonde cut the tail off the Death stalker that was coming after his mother and grabs onto it, using the things own tail to stab into its head. As it thrashes he jumped and landed on another.

Seeing her son jump away and the monster he jumped from in pain, she jumps above it, activating a Rasengan and slamming the tail into the thing, killing it. Turning around, Kushina notices her son riding on one, fighting on its tail and using it to protect himself from the other's pincers. Rushing back she stabbed into the heart of one as her son jams the tail of his mount into the other, cutting the tail off as he does so.

Jack whistles; "Little brat is good, I will give him that."

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

"Okay" Naruto says after a moment of catching his breath. "This is kinda fu-Yikes!" He jumps away from a massive golden tipped tail. He sees the giant scorpion screeching furiously at him.

The former jinchuuriki smirks wildly at the monster. "You wanna go to? Your funeral pal" He jumps straight at it, bringing down the blade on its head. What he lacked on skill, he made up for it in strength as the blow was sure to shatter its skull in one blow.

...At least that's what he THOUGHT would happen. He blinks at the various pairs of glowing eyes which seemed to stare at him with annoyance and exasperation, the sword in his hand hadn't even managed to make a dent on the bony plating.

"Well... that could have gone better"

The giant scorpion swatted him away like an annoying fly with one of its giant pincers.

Kushina only cringes seeing her son roll like ball on the ground, and stops, lying on his back with swirls in his eyes; "Yeah I am going to need to teach him how use a sword right."

Snapping back into the fight at hand, the red haired woman jumped out of the way as the large creature attempts to stab at her with its tail. Failing to strike her down it launches at her furiously. Bringing the full weight of her power, Kushina slashes up at the thing as its claws slam down on her like a hammer.

Though neither was hurt, both were at a stalemate. Kicking out from under the weight, roaring with power to push the claws up away from her, Kushina manages to get out of the crushing weight.

Running past his mother, Naruto swiftly jumped onto the thing's head and up its body. As the thing shook its body the blonde jumps off when the tail comes to smack him away. Seeing it start turning he rushes in and went to cut its legs, only for his sword to slink against the scorpion's armored plating and bounce off. "He's not going down easily!"

Coming up with a plan, Kushina looks around for some water. "Naruto, we need to find a weak point or something strong enough to kill it! It's too strong and well defended for a straight attack!"

The blonde bit back a curse he jumped away from its stinger; he saw it piercing right through a large boulder and had to squint as the rays of the sun were reflected by the metallic-like orange of its tip as it recoiled for another attack.

He suddenly got an idea. "That stinger of his looks pretty tough!" He called out to his mother.

Slowly a vicious vulpine grin crosses Kushina's lips; "Oh I like how you think Sochi!"

Though the duo had a plan, they were still having a hard time dealing with this huge scorpion. Circling the creature, Kushina starts to find weaknesses around the tail, noticing the joints to be less protected. Naruto, using the direct approach as always, decides to just jump and dodging its attempt to strike him he grabs on. Slamming his blade along its tail, he groans. "Why won't this thing get loose?"

Rolling her eyes, the red-haired Hanyou cut into a leg, but only slices enough to hurt it a bit. As it screeches in pain and attempts to swing back at her, Kushina hurries to the creature's front and stabs the blade into its eye or one, blinding it momentarily as it thrashes around. Though she jumped out of the way, Kushina still managed to get hit by its claw and slams into the nearby wall.

The duo is not alone as two armed townspeople came in and started firing into the thrashing creature, Looking to Kushina, Mary shouts. "We've got it distracted; find a way to kill the thing!"

Her words had no meaning to her in that odd language, nor were the weapons they carried that seemed to spit fire and metal. But the battlefield was no place for confusion. She only nodded at them and jumped at the great scorpion.

She latched onto the stinger, and began to stab and slice directly at the base where the last joints of the tail connected. Every small clavicle unprotected by the bony plating she cuts, severing tendons and flesh, black ichor drenched the sword until finally the stinger was left hanging, connected only by torn straps of flesh. With a cry she swung the blade and severed it completely, causing the scorpion to screech in pain, as the stinger fell, she kicked it into the air and jumped to catch it.

She spun in midair, positioning the orange stinger to be underneath the soles of her feet. She fell; her course was direct to the creature's head. As soon as they collided her legs flexed, pushing the stinger through with great strength. It pierced through plate and flesh directly through the monster's brain.

The giant death stalker only falls dead as Kushina backflips perfectly, landing beside her son. Both sigh in relief as they hear cheering behind them making them turn. "I don't know where you guys game from" The cat woman says with large smirk. "But we ain't complaining, we owe you two a lot"

The wild haired man sighs in relief shaking his head. "I personally owe you two something to eat, my treat"

Naruto and Kushina could only stare as they still couldn't understand a word. "What are they saying?" He whispers to his mother.

"Beats me" She whispers back. "I think they're thanking us" She deduced by the large smiles they were giving them while some cheered. Deciding to put her best foot forward, she tried to sound friendly despite the strong possibility of these people not understanding her. "It's a good thing we arrived here when we did, I'm glad to see you're all okay"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Jack, Mary and the others townsfolk just stared at them in confusion.

"What the hell is she saying?" Jack wondered.

Mary scratched her head, just behind her cat ears. "I... I think that's what they speak east of Mistral" She turns back to see the others. "Anyone here speak eastern?"

A woman raises her hand. "Old Keihachi does"

"Go fetch him please"

After a long five minutes of awkward silence, the woman brings out a small elderly man with a walking cane; "What the hell is going on? I was sleeping till I heard gunfire," the old man grumbles.

Mary chuckles sheepishly; "We'll explain later." she points to Kushina and Naruto; "These two seem to only speak eastern, could you please help?"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

The two shinobi stare as the old man who looks at them in turn, they immediately sigh in relief as they hear him speak in a language they understand, their own. "So, they tell me you can't really communicate with them"

"Oh thank the gods" Kushina says with a smile. "Finally someone we can understand. First, where are we? Second, what were those things? Third and most importantly and please be honest with me or else we might kill ourselves, you guys have ramen right?" Naruto nods desperately at the last part.

The old man blinks his beady eyes; he turns to the rest of his townsfolk. "I think these two have been living under a rock…"


	2. The passing of time

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or RWBY

Co-author and Beta: Etheral-23

Co-author and Action scenes: Godospartan the kitsune

 **So no doubt a lot of you will be wondering about the title of the fic and what world it pronounces. The answer to that is this; RWBYN is pronounced 'rubin' which in A LOT of languages it means 'ruby'. So yeah the name of the team technically remains the same.**

Chapter 2: The passing of time

XxX ~ four years later ~ XxX

It started as a military compound, a base of forward operations built for the protection of the kingdom of Vale, built long ago by their military. But the years had taken its toll on it, bandits and Grimm attacks, the necessity for troops to be transferred to other places eventually left the base a ghost town.

It wasn't until less than ten years ago that it began to be filled with life and activity once more. The main compound and buildings of rudimentary design, the large defensive walls, the fields where they could farm, it proved to be a good place to start a new settlement. A place for them to live their lives in relative peace.

The people had built more houses, new defenses, set up shops and more to sustain their economy. A large bellied man called Jack had made use of the compound and whatever equipment that was left to provide an important service that the wildlands often lacked; Communication. The man who loved to howl like a wolf shared important news and his love for music to whoever would, and could, listen around the wildlands. And so Howling News Radio was born.

It had become their symbol, such that the entire town had adopted the name Howling News, it was as others knew them by after all.

"Fresh noodles! Get your fresh noodles for the hard afternoon. Because we all need to fuel that tank."

"Need a weapon! I got the best in Wildlands!"

The hustle and bustle of the people, whether it is from a farmer to a shop keeper, the people of Howling News were also as lively as the man who helped start it.

"'Scuse me. Coming through!" A small excitable voice called as the owner run all over the place in search for something. Nearly bumping into other people in the process.

One of the shopkeepers, a woman in front of a grocery store who was currently sweeping the dust from her shop into the earthen street, noticed the small and fast moving individual. Her short hair and cat ears were the most noticeable trait of the small four years old.

"Good morning Sara" The woman said pleasantly.

"Morning!" She waved excitedly, waving a little hand. Her blue overalls were slightly dirty, she had been running around for a while it seemed.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"I'm looking for 'Ruto'" She said, huffing as she kicked a stone in her way. "Can't find him though"

The shopkeeper gives the young child an apologetic look, "Afraid he, Ben, and Abby are working at Madam Sally's settlement. They needed an extra pair of hands and they were available." Seeing the poor girl's cat ear fall forward looking sad, the woman quickly says. "But I did hear he finished fixing your teddy bear and left it with your mother before leaving"

The young Faunus hops excitedly. "Really? Thank you miss Jenah!"

The woman chuckles and ruffles her hair. "Thank Naruto when you see him dear" She gives her a small pat on the back. "Now run along, why don't you go see how's your father doing at work?"

A large smile comes from Sara as she runs off. Jenah only chuckles as she goes about her work.

"Excuse me ma'am."

Jenah turns to see a young man walking towards her. His attire consisted of a light brown trench-coat, dirty dark jeans, leather boots with a flower design on them, and a plain white shirt. He had a square shaped face with a strong jaw and high cheek bones, along with green eyes and long brown hair under a dark cowboy hat. On his back was a long rifle and on two holsters over his waist there were a pair of revolvers.

Her attention was brought to a badge on his shirt, next to the buckle which secured his rifle on his back. A saber and a rifle forming a cross, beneath the shape of a wolf's head with a waning moon on its maw.

"Oh a Journeyman" She tilts her head courteously. "Good day to you"

The people of the wildlands were very spread, and constantly facing various risks like Grimm or bandits. Not everyone had the means to protect themselves, even less had a proper justice system, if they were fortunate, a Hunter would be nearby on a mission. Other towns pledged themselves to the authority of one of the kingdoms to receive protection from their military and become part of the kingdom's territories. But those that stood alone didn't have that luxury, so often private armies and mercenary bands would form from people all over.

The Journeymen were one such group, they didn't fight for money, but so the people in the wildlands would be safe and could build a good life for themselves. A couple of years ago their town had made the choice of affiliating with their rangers, some of their people even joining their private army, seeing it as a good cause.

"Good day" He tipped his hat in return. "I'm looking for Naruto Uzumaki, he here?"

"Naruto is sure popular today," Jenah giggles. "He is at Madam Sally's."

The young man sighs; "If he isn't here he's there. Thank you ma'am."

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Orange dust kicked up behind the fast spinning tires of a car, it bumped and bounced over the dry terrain of the arid desert. The vehicle itself was heavily customized, ballistic platting attached over rusty metal, the front grille guard was rusty and with a bladed edge. The whole vehicle was decorated with spikes and painted flames.

Three more vehicles of similar design rode at its side, its passengers shouting at their hearts contents as they neared their destination. A large base built around a plateau, with various shacks and other buildings of poor quality and design protected behind a large fence, and various larger structures built over the tall rock formation's face.

This was more than a small settlement; it was a large base only a warlord would possess. A highly popular place among the lawless and the unwanted of the near wilds that came seeking opportunity in its large area, and with its owner, the young warlord Madam Sally.

Among the vile, depraved, and brutal; Madam Sally is the rarest of warlords. One who defends the common folks. In her own unique ways.

She gathered all the 'strange folk' of the wildlands, former criminals who wanted to be more, mercs who wanted to atone for whatever deeds they've committed in the past, the crazy and deranged but with good hearts that compensated for their rather wild and savage nature. Those bred and raised in the wildlands, who have been shaped by the strife that was common in the harsher parts of Remnant, who were taught since the beginning that survival was the only option, and that only the fittest survived.

Sally knew that individuals alone didn't qualify as 'fit' for survival. But all of them working together, for the benefit of not just themselves but all the other folk who could contribute to make their lives better? They more than qualified.

Her word was law, and disobeying the law was grave mistake.

As he wipes the sweat from his brow, Naruto had to admit Sally had one hell of heart bringing all these misfits together. A place he fit in just as well as his home in HNR. For which the blond Uzumaki was enjoying the tune from 'Stone Sour' from the radio on the table.

He never got the name, but the music kicked ass.

He popped the stiff joints of his neck as he turned to see the poor guy he had been laying a beating on. Sally had recently brought in a few greenhorns (greenhorns by wild land standards) who needed to be put through their paces so they could be ready for a real fight. And had wanted someone like Naruto to show them what was out there.

She was also in need of some good mechanics as some of her vehicles had recently been trashed beyond the ability of those who worked for her. It also had to do with the fact that any mechanic of hers who could actually fix them had been eaten by Grimm recently.

"You guys really need more training" He points, taking off his shirt and dropping a bucket of water on him. The rookies who had been training back away at the sight of their unconscious companion.

They were training near the large garage where dozens of vehicles were stored. The smell of rust and oil filled the air, sparks flowed as the mechanics did their work.

One of them spoke. "That bad huh?" The owner of the voice was a young man around his age. He wore a pair of googles over his long brown hair. Dark gloves and loose army pants with boots, he wore no shirt, showing off his broad and quite muscular physique. His grey eyes focused on his task as he turned on the welding torch, he placed the googles over them to protect them as sparks flew.

"Could be worse" Naruto shrugs. He rounds on them. "But you know over half the stuff out there in the wilds wants you DEAD. So put more effort into it!"

"Abby could make them a training course" A feminine voice quipped, hanging vertically from suspenders that held vehicle parts, came a young woman with long blue hair, a large bang over which usually hanged over one eye now hanged vertically over the ground, along with a long pair of braids. She wore a bra top and a pair of shorts, with a belt filled with many tools and other less than describable objects of her own design. Her blue eyes shined whimsically while her smile spelled trouble. "Put them through their paces"

"I'm trying to train them" Naruto points out, his fox features twitching nervously at prospect of whatever her deranged mind had conceived. "Not kill them"

The blue haired girl pouts; "Foxy tried Abby's course once."

"And foxy will never do it again," the blond fires right back.

The young man welding only laughs; "And you wonder why I am never bored."

"With a girlfriend THIS crazy" Naruto deadpans. Abby just grins widely. "Yeah, I can get how things wouldn't ever be boring"

"Foxy's just jealous Abby picked her Ben," the blue haired girl sticks out her tongue.

Naruto just looks to the greenhorns; "Life lesson boys. There are things on Remnant that must NEVER be explored."

The last few years had been... interesting to say the least. This new chance at life granted to him and his mother by the gods was not really what they were expecting. He wasn't complaining mind you. How many got the chance to start over after being dead?

This whole new world was so different from the one they came from. The Grimm, those malicious beasts that prowled on people for no other reason than for the sake of destruction. Monsters that were drawn to negative emotions like moths to the flame. The people of Remnant had fought them as long as they could remember. At one point they were nearly driven to annihilation if not for the discovery of Dust.

Dust was a crystal that possessed mystical properties and energies that could be channeled either with Aura, the energies from the soul, or through technology. Technologically speaking, Remnant was leagues above the shinobi world; Vehicles, both terrestrial and aerial, that could make fast journeys all over the world which would otherwise take months, if not years on foot. Several useful devices that could be used for communications or various other purposes, such as the Scrolls, of which he and his mother possessed one each.

Not to mention their weaponry, if the Elemental Nation had developed like Remnant... Naruto shuddered to think the kind of devastation that would have brought. A warrior who faced the threat of the Grimm needed to be versatile, and while some settled for the simple yet highly efficient designs, there were also an incredible number of mixed weapons that could change from melee to range. He respected people's abilities with those weapons, but firearms weren't something he really liked, so he had settled for a simple yet masterfully crafted katana.

Another thing different in this world was the use of Aura, it was very similar to chakra, allowing people to do physical feats on par with the shinobi from his original world, as well as granting them the use of special abilities unique to the individual called Semblance. So far he had seen people doing rather awesome things like controlling vegetation and casting spells of various effects. With a bit of Dust, people could take their abilities to new degrees of power and versatility.

Then there were the Faunus, people who faced discrimination because they were born with animal traits. He and his mother had arrived on this world with fox tails and ears, and were fortunate enough to have settled in a place where people treated each other fairly, Howling News. That is not to say he hasn't faced some prejudice from other places. The more things they change...

Though to be fair, he and his mother weren't really faunus as they had discovered. The truth of the matter was... more complicated.

Still, four year being with his mother and learning everything she knew was something he would never give up for a lifetime. Even though her training could have made Ero-Sennin cry for mercy. But the results spoke volumes.

Hitting a growth spurt after a year in Remnant, now seventeen and the same height as Kakashi-sensei. His physique also took a strong positive.

Naruto shakes his head and walks over the rest of his clothes, picking them up. "Alright people, that's all for today. Try not to disappoint Sally... and that's a real advice there. For your own good"

The rookies left, a good bunch of them groaning and moaning in pain. Nobody bothered to pick up the one who was unconscious.

"Sally's show is about to start" Ben pointed out as he cleaned his oily hands. "Heard she's gonna sing after the fight"

"Thanks" Naruto nods, taking a deep gulp from a bottle of water Abby handed him. "Think I'll head out there, pay her a visit after it and see how she's doing"

"Abby thinks Sally would like to see her boy toy after the show" The crazed mechanic quipped with a wide smile, much to Naruto's chagrin and Ben's amusement.

Rolling his eyes, Naruto puts on his black T-shirt to match his pants. His mother Kushina was practically dancing finding someone able to recreate Anbu-style gear. The blond fox teen puts on his grey Anbu vest over his shirt, then to his forearm and shin guards.

For the final touch, in memory of his father, Minato's coat but dark burnt orange in color with black flames on the bottom. Lifting up the face mask that resembles Kakashi's, the Uzumaki waves as he grabs his sheathed katana.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Many said that people are shaped by their environment. Blake begged to differ, she had grown up on the wildlands after all... of course, and she didn't grow up in a place that could even be compared to... this.

Keeping her hold on the silvery briefcase tight, the faunus who hid her heritage walked about the 'streets' of the Marauders' base. This place, as it often was the case with warlord's settlements, was more a fortress than a place to live, though the people here certainly seemed to enjoy it.

There were businesses and places of entertainment that numerous gang members frequented. Taverns certainly weren't lacking, some people sat on tables close to the streets, laughing and trading tales to their hearts contents, telling the others how much they have customized their vehicles and the fight's they've been in. Others participated in all sorts of activities, ranging from arm-wrestling to having spars right there on empty alleys, with bystanders betting money on it once things got more heated between the contestants.

Honestly, if it wasn't because she knew of Madam Sally's reputation Blake would have never considered coming here. Bandits weren't trustworthy people... But the Faunus had to remind herself that despite appearances and behavior, these wild people weren't bandits. She even saw Faunus and humans mingling without issue, members of the gang who fought side by side, that were admirable.

Then she saw a drunken brawl breaking out, and that admirable trait quickly went out the window.

She wasn't paying attention to her walk, so she ran into a solid wall of muscle. She would have fallen if a pair of strong hands that caught her; "Sorry about that, you okay?" The raven haired Faunus looks up to see a tall spiky blond haired man with fox ears and tail giving her an apologetic look.

A bit hard to tell though with the face mask, but she also took notice the lack of human ears on this man, a pure blood maybe, she's heard and seen a few like that. "I'm okay..."

"New around here huh?" He takes his mask down, allowing Blake to whisker like marks on his cheek, he smiled at her.

"What gave me away?" She replied in a dry tone.

His blue eyes twinkled with amusement. "Well the air of cleanness and general decency actually"

He had to admit she was quite beautiful with the long wavy raven colored hair and bow on her head. Wearing black low-heeled boots and stockings that start off black at her hips. A black buttoned vest with coattails, and a white sleeveless undershirt that exposes part of her midriff with white shorts that may be connected to her shirt, although it was partly obscured by the vest.

"Name's Naruto" He introduces himself, bringing his hand up. "Nice to meet you"

The dark girl stares at his hand and back at him for a second. "Blake" She shakes it with her free hand. "Good to meet you too. But I've got to go now, sorry" With that, she carried on her path towards her destination.

"Going to the arena I see" She bit back a sigh. Stopping, she turned and saw him grinning at her. "I'm going there too. Mind if I accompany you?"

She could see he wasn't going to leave her alone. "If you wish" She replied curtly.

Walking through the path toward the arena, Naruto keeps his mask down; "Usually Sally has a few fights going on about every other day. Small rewards for a good show, nothing mayor. But her tournaments bring in the real flow. Won her 'gauntlet tournament' a few years ago. Got my truck thanks to that."

"Mhm" Blake absently said in affirmation that she was at least listening.

"It's fun around here. These guys are crazy, but they're a good bunch"

"I see"

"Just don't order the 'special drink' in arena's bar. You'll wake up in some alley with all your belongings missing. Trust me, I speak for experience"

Once more, she replied with few words in that disinterested tone of hers. "Good to know"

"...Wow. You're peachy aren't you?"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

 _"~Father did you miss, been locked up for a while~"_

Blake winces as the massive crowd cheers and rifts of a guitar and drums blare. Naruto chuckles; "Yeah she likes to sing before or after some fights!" The blond yelled over the crowd.

Her bow covering her cat ears did little to stop the loud pounding of the music and the cheers of the crowd. The arena was large, circular in design, various tall rows of seats housing many people; the place was pretty much full. The place dark, yet not poorly illuminated to the point people would have trouble seeing where they were going. On the roof were various reflectors all centered on the spectacle, flashing different colored lights. They all cheered on at the center where there was a good sized plot of earth some meters under the level of the first line of seats, with a large metallic dome over it.

At the center of the arena were a group of people playing instruments, blasting the music through powerful speakers. In front of them was the singer, the woman she came to see.

 _"~I got caught for what I did but took it all in style._

 _Laid to rest all my confessions I gave way back when~"_

Sally had medium length spiky brown hair with long layered bangs and wore dark makeup under her green eyes; various strands of her hair were dyed in different colors. Her skin was a bit tanned, likely because of the arid place she lived in. She wore a short tight dark blue vest that showed her flat firm stomach, also restraining her ample chest, a pair of dark mini-shorts which showed off her long shapely legs, and a pair of boots.

 _"~now I'm versed in so much worse,_

 _So I am back again~"_

She was clearly enjoying what she was doing, as well as the people as who cheered for her. She danced and sang with joy to the otherwise dark song.

Blake tried to speak over the crowd. "Does she do this often?"

"When she can" Naruto says loudly. "She loves it as much as everybody"

Hard to believe this young woman was a warlord in charge of her own gang, not what the Faunus was expecting.

Sally danced and flashed a wild grin at her audience.

 _"~for the lines that I take, I'm going to hell~!_

 _For the love that I make, I'm going to hell~!"_

Though something told Blake she shouldn't make assumptions about this person. As the last rift of the guitar the crowd only cheers louder as Sally only smiles at the people; "You motherfuckers like that!" The crowd roars; "Let's keep that adrenaline flowing! We got some boys wanting to spill some blood! And if one isn't breathing at the end," Sally only shrugs with a smile on her face.

The crowd laughs. "Today's reward is five thousand liens! Now come on boys, give them a show!" She takes her leave towards a door at one end of the arena where she vanishes into the shadow as some violent looking thugs enter.

Blake's follows her figure until she can't see her anymore. "Have to go" She says to Naruto. "I've business with her"

"She's probably at her room. Can take you there if you want" He chuckles. "Fair warning, she might want to keep you there for a time"

The raven haired teen looks at the tall blond; "I'm not getting rid of you am I?"

"Afraid not, I have business with her to," Naruto smirks walking passed Blake; "Follow me!"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Sally sighed as she sat in front of her vanity; she stretched before taking a long sip from a bottle of water on the table. She then heard a knocking on her door.

"Hey Sally, it's me Naruto"

Oh, now this was a company she enjoyed. The young warlord chuckled and walked to the door, she opened it to reveal the foxy blonde standing there.

"Hey Naruto" She greeted him sultrily. "Heard you were really giving my boys a pounding" She clicks her tongue a few times. "That makes a girl jealous you know?"

The blonde to his credit didn't blush... much anyway. Sally had that effect on people. "Hey, you wanted me to do it anyway"

She laughs as she purrs. "Oh yes. Next time invite me to watch at least"

Blake flushed at the blatant sexual banter between the two. She was used to her... adult novels but seeing two people acting like that before her was something different.

It was then that Sally took notice of the dark haired girl. "Oh who is this?" She asked with interest, shoving Naruto out of way with a hand to his face. The warlord looked up and the down the raven haired girl like a cat does to its prey. And no, the irony wasn't lost on Blake. "Who might you be sweetie?"

"I'm Blake" She forced herself to sound professional and unperturbed by the woman's demeanor. "I contacted you before, I'm here to do business"

"Hmm I bet" Sally licked her lips. She guided the black haired girl inside and closed the distance between the two, making the hidden faunus very nervous. "What sort of 'business' do you have in mind? I've got a few ideas myself"

Blake only blushes at the innuendo as she meekly lifts up the case. Sally beams; "Oh you brought toys too! I do have my own. Other than lover boy back there."

Naruto looks dryly at the young warlord but just shakes his head. Sally takes the case as she brings it over to her vanity.

"I'm just playing with you" She laughs. "I remember the message you sent me. That's why my guys let you in in the first place" She sits and opens the briefcase, revealing various Dust crystals of different colors. She whistles in appreciation. "Nice" She looks at the contents for a few seconds before closing it and standing up once more. "Take a seat"

Blake saw a coffee table with a few comfortable looking chairs around it. She sat down opposite of where the warlord now sat, setting the briefcase over the table.

"So" The multicolored haired girl asks, leaning back in her chair and crossing her legs. "How much do you want for them?"

Clearing her throat, Blake sees Naruto standing behind Sally; "Just enough to pay for a forged ID I had ordered, along with passages for Vale. And extra lien for supplies."

"Ah," Sally looks up to Naruto. "Someone who wants to start over. Go fetch Glasses for me."

The blond nods as he leaves the room. Sally now tilts her head with a serious look to Blake; "Dust like this is not cheap to find sweetie." She opens the briefcase again, taking a large red crystal she twirls it around her hand, examining it. "The quality of this Dust, and the variety you have with you..." The warlord gives her a long look. "This belongs to a proper company, not some refinery of the wildlands"

"Does it matter how I got them?" Blake retorts neutrally.

"It does if it's going to affect me and my people"

"It won't" The faunus assured her.

Sally stared at her in silence for a few seconds before asking; "Why did you choose to sell them to me? You say you want enough for whatever you're planning, but the Black Market, or another warlord could have given you more. Even the Shadows might be interested if you can contact them"

"Another warlord would have just taken the Dust the moment he saw it" Blake says. "And the black market is full of thieves, just like the Shadows, I don't want to deal with them... Not more than I already will have to at least"

The warlord juggles with the crystal in her hand. "Doesn't answer my question though. Why me?"

Amber eyes shift. "Your reputation mostly" She explains. "Word is that you help people, you take scum from the wilds and try to make them something better" She leans forwards a bit. "That you work closely with the Journeymen. A gang leader working with law enforcers on a lawless land? That just doesn't happen"

Neither surprise nor shock is show in Sally's face as she twirls the red crystal in her hand. However a small unreadable smirk plays on the warlord's lips. "Well, well... I will see to your transaction done miss Blake... of the White Fang."

The Faunus remains completely still, she tries to reign in the flow of emotions but she can't stop the widening of her eyes.

"Surprised?" The warlord lazily says. "I've got my contacts just like you have yours. One must be aware of those that might pose a threat to you. Especially those that accompany, or used to accompany in your case, Adam 'The Bloody Beast' Taurus"

"That's not my life anymore," Blake says quickly. If this was going to work she would have to be honest. Least enough to satisfy this woman, "What we... what they became, I want nothing to do with."

"Hmm..." Sally taps her chin. "Understandable. I even liked the White Fang, before they became so blood driven" The Faunus chose to ignore that as the warlord continued; "So be it. Your life your choice. Naruto will bring Glasses and he can estimate the funds."

Soon enough, the blonde fox faunus returned with a man with short swept back hair, dark skin, and large round glasses. He quickly made an estimate of what the Dust was worth and how much the Faunus was asking for.

Glasses counted the last roll of lien before handing it to her. "And with that miss, our business is concluded" Blake nodded in thanks before storing the money away. "Please take us in mind for future deals" He gave her a curt nod before giving one to Sally. "Boss" Businesses done with, he took his leave.

"Thank you" Blake said as she stood up. "I have to leave now"

"Ohhh ain't no reason why we can't hang out" The spiky multi-colored haired warlord said coyly. "Why don't you stay a while? I can show you a good time" Blake had half a mind to tell the warlord she wasn't interested.

Really, she wasn't. She told herself.

A knock on the door makes every turn; "Boss, a Journeyman is here for Naruto. Has a mission for him"

"That would be Johnathan," Naruto sighs looking to Sally. "Back to work..."

Blake lifts a brow; "You're a Journeymen?"

"Yep" The blonde replies, making for the door. "Later Sally, good to meet'cha Blake"

"Awww" Sally pouts in disappointment. "Didn't even have time to play..."

Blake only watches with a small blush to her cheeks, _'I got to get out of here._ ' Like right now, before Sally realized she was still there.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

At the gate of Sally's settlement, Johnathan waited quietly, leaning his back against the truck. "Yo Johnathan!" He hears the distinctive voice of his comrade and friend. He turns to see the blonde giving him a grin. "Heard you needed some help?"

He scoffed. "Please. You know I never do, just that my father feels this work will be done just a bit faster with you there"

"Mighty talk coming from you, considering all the times I saved your ass"

"Not nearly as many as the times I saved yours" The cowboy shots back, the two stare off at the other before laughing and shaking hands.

"So where we going anyways?" Naruto asks opening the door to his pickup truck. A custom creation from one of Sally's top mechanic, before he got eaten by Grimm.

"The main crossroads between Howling News, Jeargon and Port Huren has suffered a sudden increase in Grimm activity" The cowboy explains, taking a sit next to Naruto. He takes his rifle off and sets it over his legs. "There is a pack right in the middle of it; travel isn't safe until we take care of it"

"Alright" Igniting the engine, they drive towards their destination across the arid valley. "What are we facing?"

"Minotaurs" Johnathan replies with seriousness. "They're lead by an Alpha"

"…Lovely dattebayo," Naruto says as dryly as he possibly could. The blond hits the accelerator making his passenger grunt uncomfortably. "If you're puking pull down a window!"

"Between you and your mother, I don't know who is worse behind the wheel!"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Ugly things, the Minotaurs. But then again all Grimm were. Lower bodies were two furry bull legs; the torso was more humanoid, heavily muscular with thick arms that ended in claws, not as sharp as a Beowulf's but still quite dangerous, and the heads of bull with bony white masks and fiery red eyes, along with sharp horns they'd often use to gorge their enemies.

Roaming aimlessly in the crossroads between the woods, they have made this place their temporary home so they could prowl upon any unlike person that was sure to cross this path. The leader of the pack was an awful sight, at least two heads taller than the rest, with bony spikes point out from its shoulders and back along with bone plating over its limbs.

Hidden amongst the tree filled tall hill, he observed the movements of these beasts through his scope with his good eye, pausing momentarily so his left cybernetic eye could scan for any new signs of more Grimm.

Taking his time, he held his large sniper in position, aiming straight at the head of the Alpha. He took a deep breath and calmly guided his finger over the trigger...

 **HONK! HOOOONK!**

Until a loud claxon alerted him and all the Grimm of a newcomer.

One of the Minotaurs found itself right in the middle of the charging's vehicle's path, despite being taller than it, the truck did a good job at sending the monster flying away.

"Do you even know which petal the break is?!" A male voice shouted.

"Ask your sister, she loves it fast and hard!"

"Oh I will kick your ass for that one!"

Okay, who were these clowns? Looking through his scope, not paying attention to the shouting match between the young men. He sees the insignia of the Journeymen. Hmm, they must have gotten assigned to take care of the Grimm. But now the two had hopped out of the truck and were standing on the roof, continuing their bickering. The Grimm decided to approach them as they looked like easy distracted prey to them.

Well, better save those morons before they got killed. He aimed once more, this time at the Grimm closest to them, which suddenly broke into a sprint with a savage roar, the Minotaur jumped at them... and suddenly got a huge hole on its chest, courtesy of the now smoking revolver on the cowboy's hand.

"We're arguing here!" Both yell out making the Grimm actually take a step back. Leaping off the truck, Johnathan pulls his second revolver, with slip second aiming he fires two rounds blowing off the heads of two Grimm.

Leaping a little higher, the man watches through his scope the blond fox faunus with a katana in his hand. If not for his cybernetic eye he would have missed the twelve slashes that were faster than the wind slicing through two more Minotaurs. The beasts fall into pieces behind the blonde.

Huh, that was rather good.

Another Minotaur charged; the cowboy shot its leg off, making the beast howl in pain before falling to the ground. The cowboy jumped above it as it was about to land right over him, he fell to the ground quickly crushing its head to pieces with his booted feet.

The blonde slashed the hand off Minotaur and threw himself at the monster, grabbing its horn he twirled around it, cutting its throat before jumping off its back and burying his blade into the head of another.

Thanks to be his fox ears, Naruto caught the sound of another Grimm growing closers, the blond expertly avoids the horns of a charging Grimm. The Minotaur quickly stopped, rounding back with its fist reared back. If it was not his decades of service, the man would have dropped his weapon seeing the blond catch the beast's mighty fist with his free hand and barely moved.

"Oh now you show off Uzumaki," the cowboy scoffs.

"Like you're one to talk!" He shot back as he drove the fist to the ground, kneeing the beast in the stomach before cutting it in half with his blade.

The cowboy had a struggling Grimm beneath his boot. "I don't know what you're talking about" He rips out one of the horns with a kick, kicking it up in the air. He aimed his revolver and waited until the horn twirled to the right position. He fired, and the strength of the shot pushed the horn right through the head of two more Minotaurs. He finally finished off the one beneath him by crushing its head.

The ground shakes under their feet, as they turn to see the large alpha charging for them. "Think he's a little pissed," the blond tilts his head.

The cowboy rolls his eyes, "Go over an ask him Naruto, I am sure he's got a few choice words."

"Alright" He rolls his neck and loosens his shoulders. He gives his blade a twirl before holding it tightly with both hands. "Let's dance big guy"

The alpha Minotaur roars as it charges, it position its horns directly at Naruto to gorge him. The foxy blond waits until the right moment, and just before the beast could hit him, he jumps and slashes its back.

The Minotaur roars in pains but it stands up all the same. Hot breath is visible exhaled out of its nostrils as baleful red eyes stare at him in rage. It brings its fist down on Naruto, cracking up the ground in large chunks, but Naruto had swiftly evaded. He attacked once more, this time aimed at the arm, but bony plating that sprouted from the forearm like a sharp bone protected the limb, leaving only a deep gash over it.

"Tch," Naruto sneers leaping back from the Alpha's powerful fist. "Guess it need a bit more kick." Skidding back a good enough distance, Naruto charges forward to which the alpha roars in challenge as it does the same.

Narrowing his eyes, the sniper sees the blond form a sphere of blue energy in his left hand. He also sees blue fire coating it.

 _'Nice aura manipulation there'_ the sniper couldn't help but praise silently in his head.

The blonde slammed it in the beast's stomach, the energy sphere kept rotating faster and faster, the blue fires burning away at the flesh as the attack kept burying itself deeper into the beast.

With a mighty cry, Naruto pushed with all his strength as the fire consumed the dark flesh and the Rasengan pierced right through the monsters, severing it in half as the blue fire quickly spread over the two halves of its body, disintegrating it.

Johnathan whistles; "Never gets old seeing that Rasengan of yours. Sure you can't teach me that?"

"This is a family technique my dad made so... Nope," Naruto flashes a cheeky smirk.

"Stingy blond..."

Naruto grunts as he sheathes his blade. "I taught you how to walk on walls and water, isn't that enough?" He walks towards the truck.

"It's useful, I'll give you that. But it got old qui-" The cowboy is interrupted by the beeping on his scroll. He took it out placed it on his ear. "John here" He fell silent as another voice spoke. "Yeah all done over here, the path should be safe now" He blinked in surprise. "Wait, where?" Naruto looked at him curiously. "Yeah we're close, what's going on" After a second, his expression grew sour and he sighed. "Ugh wonderful... Yeah, yeah we're on it" He hang up with a sigh. "Got a new mission, a mine north of here"

"What's going on?" Naruto asks, resting his hands over the hood of the truck.

"Brotherhood making a mess of things"

The foxy blond let's his head fall back and groans. "Not those assholes..."

"Come on" His companion urged him, stepping inside the truck. "We better make sure they don't do anything more stupid"

Naruto just sighed, stepping into the vehicle driving off.

The sniper watched as they left. "Well... that was interesting" His voice was raspy. He stood up from his cover, adjusting his dirty cloak over his shoulder, revealing his cameo jacket and dark pants with brown boots. His long hair was of a soft shade of brown. A red cybernetic eye shined like a lens on left side of his scarred face.

"Not bad at all..." The boy had talent. After thinking it over for a moment he followed after the truck.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Holding the steering wheel as his katana lays on the dash, Naruto heads for the mine. His fox tail waves back and forth; "So what we are expecting beside a cluster fuck?"

"An insufferable holier-than-thou attitude coupled with utter douchiness and over-inflated egos?"

"So, Brotherhood in general"

"Yeah..."

Among the factions of the wildlands, none was more widespread and influential than the Brotherhood of Light. An religious order of knights founded many centuries ago to protect the world from the Grimm, and protect treasures and relics of eras long past. The Brotherhood had numbers and technology superior to those commonly found in the wildlands. They spread their numbers under different 'chapters' across the continents, all of varying numbers and doctrines under different names. Some said their combined numbers could match the military of a kingdom.

In all honesty, the Brotherhood did a good work in protecting the people and keeping order in the lawless wilds... when it suited them. Naruto had met knights from different chapters in the past; some had been chivalrous knight errant while others had been total and utter asshats. Those types of knights cared for nothing more than their 'holy mission', constantly spewing nonsense about the gods they worshiped while ignoring those that needed aid, following their dumb Codex to the letter.

The chapter closest to Vale, the Sun's Lions, actually set a good example to follow. But boy did some of them have a stick up their collective asses. Their attitude, while good intentioned, would often get them to butt heads with other people.

Like now apparently.

Naruto grumbles as he sees the mining outpost. He stops the truck by the fence when two heavy assault turrets aim themselves at them. 'Passengers within the truck, please step out or we will assume you are hostile and open fire.' they hear a voice from a PA speaker.

"It's okay!" Johnathan calls out, raising his hands through the lowered windshield. "We're Journeymen!" They slowly step out.

After a few seconds of silence the speaker turns on again. 'You can come in'

The two get of the truck and go inside, noticing all the miners were sitting, waiting with anxious and angry expressions instead of working. Their machinery was inactive, and there was a group of knights six knights in front of the mine's entrance.

Their armor was silvery, stylized to look like that of knights from ancient times and mixed in with technological upgrades. The visors in their helmets were made of black lances, taking a wide V-shape. Around their waits were blue cloaks with golden embroidery and their coat of arms, a roaring lion standing before a sun.

All of them carried shields and swords. Some opted to go for gunblades apparently, as a few who carried rifles lacked the swords that would normally go attached to their waists.

The knight in the middle looked to be their leader, judging by the golden decorations around his shoulder pads and chest plate which had a roaring lion plate forged over it. "State your business" He said, his voice slightly synthesized, to the Journeymen as they got near.

"We got a call from our superiors" Johnathan said. "Something about you interrupting with these people's job"

The knight sighed, shaking his helmeted case. "I'll tell you what we told these people. It is too dangerous to go inside"

Naruto crossed his arms, giving him a stern look. "And why is that?"

"We heard the miners found an entrance to an old structure" The knight replied. "We came in to secure it, but we are awaiting reinforcements to proceed"

The blonde snorted. "What? You want to take whatever relics are inside before these people do?"

The knights clearly didn't take to his words kindly. "While it is our sacred job" He snorted again. The knight continued speaking with an edge to his voice. "We are also making sure they don't get hurt for whatever may be inside. The Ancients' ruins are sometimes filled with deadly automatons"

Johnathon sighs; "How about this? My friend and I here go in and deal with the robots. Saves you guys time and the miners can get back to work."

The leader ponders. "If you're serious, you're going in with escort," the lead knight says replies. "To make sure nothing of value is damaged"

"Brother-Sergeant" One knight steps forward, his voice was much more youthful. He possessed a rifle in his hand as well as a sword sheathed on his waist. "Allow me to accompany them"

The sergeant considered it for a moment. "Very well Brother Arthur. Take Lorenzius and Miru with you, secure any relics you find, and if there are automatons activated, dispose of them"

The young knight nods as he looks to Naruto and Johnathan; "We will meet Brother Lorenzius and Sister Miru at the entrance of the ruin. Shall we?"

With a motion from Naruto's hand they follow Arthur to the mine entrance. "If you don't mind me asking. Are you El Zorro Dorado by chance?" The young knight looks to Naruto.

"Did not think that title meant much," Naruto says dryly.

Johnathan scoffs with a laugh; "Bullshit... You bragged the moment Jack called it on the radio."

"...Just a little bit" The cowboy rolls his eyes.

"You've built up quite the reputation" The young knights remarks. "'Kinhitsune' they also call you. The 'Golden Fox', as both names mean"

Naruto shrugs; "I just try to help. People need that out here in the wild lands, beside my mom's nickname is way more awesome."

The three stop at two knights who stood guard among the tunnels; "Brother Lorenzius, Sister Miru."

"These are Journeymen here to help?" They hear a feminine synthesized voice from the armored one on the left.

"Indeed Sister" The knight who had been guiding them said. "Weapons ready, we must go in and deal with whatever is inside"

"Understood" Lorenzius replied in a raspy voice.

They readied their rifles and moved. The knights took them to a section of the mine where it looked like there had been a cave in as a portion of the wall had crumbled. Amidst the broken rocks they saw a particular rock formation. Upon closer inspection, Naruto and Johnathan realized the stones were square, clearly man-made, with odd symbols engraved in them. The passage of time had worn them out a bit but their shapes could still be made out.

The stones formed in an arc around an opening which leads to a passage, one that was illuminated by some form of lights from crystals on the walls. "How far does this go?" Naruto Walks beside Johnathan

"This is only the first floor. The main chamber is further down" Miru comments.

Arthur beckoned them to move. "Weapons ready my brothers" His fellow knights nodded and stepped through, the Journeymen following close as they descended down the stairs.

"Have you been able to fully explore it?" The cowboy asked.

"Only a bit" Arthur answered. "We were waiting to have reinforcements in case we awakened something, but wtih you here we can safely explore and leave the rest behind in case something goes wrong"

"Are we expecting something?" Naruto inquires.

"The Ancients left behind many secrets" Lorenzius said. "Among them, ancient machines of advanced yet arcane technology. Like androids, but... different. It isn't the kind of technology you see in this day and age"

The Ancients, as most of the world tended to call them, were an old civilization that predated the kingdoms according to the experts. They have left ruins all over Remnant, often filled with many relics of varying powers, as well as sentinel machines to watch over them.

Scholars said that the Ancients wielded Dust in a manner that, simply put, was like magic. Wielding power and making constructs of incredibly design and ability. Their relics often provided the user with many great abilities, such as empowering Aura, or granting a new different ability altogether. Sadly, the knowledge in duplicating these lost arts vanished with them.

Naruto's fox ears soon stand straight up before rearing back. "Something ahead," he whispers slowly drawing his sword.

Arthur held back a fist, motioning the others to stop. "Careful" He whispered. "We're about to enter the main chamber"

"Gods guide our blades" Miru whispered in prayer, shifting her rifle into a sword.

The stairwell ended in a large doorway which opened to a great chamber. Illuminated by crystals, ancient pillars rose to touch the tall ceiling, they architecture was ancient, curved concrete and marble formed patterns in circular motions. On the walls were old murals of colored glass, depicting people in long robes wearing elongated pieces of headgear. They could see a motif of circular patterns along with other tribal-like markings.

Despite the age of this place, the structures were reinforced with old dark blue metallic alloys. Lines which carried a faint pulse of energy ran all across the pillars and walls, connecting the crystals which illuminated the place.

"Grace of the skies..." Lorenzius muttered in awe. "This place is intact; there must be plenty of relics we can recover for the chapter"

"Wait..." Naruto said, squinting his eyes. "Look at that" He pointed to one of the corners of the square chamber, his eyes allowed him to perceive what was nearly hidden by the shadows of the pillars, were statues. Constructs that had humanoid bodies and featureless faces, the body parts were made of metal stylized in the form of a bizarre and nearly alien looking set of armor, and the joints crafted out of crystals. The faces were featureless, with the exception of two crystals where the eyes were supposed to be. They all held different types of weapons of unknown design, all of them lined or completely made out of crystals.

"Sentinels..." Arthur mutters. "It seems our suspicions were right"

"More over there" The blonde pointed to the other corner.

"There must around twenty of them" Miru whispered. "Should we proceed?"

Their lead thought about for a moment before his helmeted head nodded. "Let's" He holsters his rifle on his back and draws his sword, a beautifully ornamented blade. He plants it on the ground and kneels. "But first, let us pray for the battle ahead" His companions copied his movements.

Johnathan rolled his eyes and Naruto sighed. "Really..."

The three knights whisper silently a small prayer while Naruto keeps his eyes on the sentinels. "This might be rough," he whispers to Johnathan.

"We can handle it."

"I meant on the scenery."

The cowboy chuckles in reply.

The knights finished their prayer with a soft; "So let it be" And stood up. "Ready?"

Johnathan brandished his bolt action rifle while Naruto gave a twirl to his blade. "Ready"

Exchanging a nod, the five charge into the chamber. The moment they set foot inside, the crystals lit up with even greater strength, illuminating the room fully. The ancient machines suddenly stood straight, the crystals in them shining with energy as their blades charged. They collectively turned their heads to the intruders and took a step forward.

The ceiling shined with glowing lines of blue energy, all channeling power directly to a dome like structure in the middle. The knights and Journeymen saw a giant spherical construct spinning, sigils written in an ancient language shined around it. It slowly levitated down to the ground where it kept spinning.

The sphere shifted and twisted, both halves rotating in opposite directions, it began to split apart like a puzzle, two giant arms with shielded frames came out, along with two great robotic legs of plated metal. The chest plating shifted and circled like the gears of a clock, while a large circular plate of glass-like metal hovered behind its head like a halo. The featureless face looked down on the intruders who barely came up to its knees, and brought its hands together, gathering energy and expanding it as it spread its arms. The energy took the shape of a large spear made light which solidified into ornate crystal.

"Well..." Naruto muttered, knowing full well he wasn't the only one staring at the giant construct with wide eyes as the other smaller twenty approached. "...shit"

The great automaton twirled the spear in its hand with more dexterity a thing of its size had any right to have. Positioning the tip to strike them, it brought it down.

"Move..!" Johnathan shouted, and everyone jumped away as the crystalline tip teared away at the floor. He took aim with his rifle and snipped at the head of the ancient machine, but all it produced was a small spark to bounce off its face.

Lorenzius and Miru shifted their blades to their rifle forms, spreading out along the sides of the great construct and firing, bullets bounced off once more, barely leaving a scratch. But they managed to catch its attention

Getting a moment to close in, the blonde Uzumaki sped around and jumped directly at it, Rasengan in hand. He slammed the sphere straight into the chest but the metal stood strong, the machine to twist its arm grabbed him and throwing him over its shoulder and straight at Johnathon, who clumsily attempted to catch his friend.

Thankfully Naruto's clones were providing a better support. Two automatons charged in, spears lined with crystalline energy at the ready, they cleaved through two of Naruto's clones and approached a third. Thinking fast, the clone ran straight at them, waiting to be at the right distance before the machines brought down their blades on him in a sweeping arc, he dived in, passing safely underneath the spears as their momentum continued, and the machines tore themselves to pieces.

Lorenzius and Miru found themselves to be the targets of three automatons; they aimed at them with weapons in the shape of crossbows which shot bolts of pure light at them with the speed and firing power of semi-automatic guns. The two raised their shields to protect themselves from the blast and huddled together for better cover, but each shot was pushing them back.

Arthur saw this and quickly took action to help his battle-brothers. He held his blade in front of him, runs light up in golden light along the edge, as a golden aura surrounded it. In a sweeping motion, he shot forth a slash of light which struck its halo-like disk.

It turned to him and raised a mechanical hand, energy gathering in a sphere. Arthur quickly ran towards his companion's attackers as a beam of energy was shot from the great automaton. He could feel the heat radiate from the blast as it followed him. Huffing, he put as much strength as possible on his sprint and jumped over the machines which kept firing on Lorenzius and Miru, the bean followed suit and destroyed them.

"My thanks brother" Miru nodded in thanks along with Lorenzius, suddenly, they raise their rifles at him much to his shock. "Now please dodge"

He didn't need to be told twice, as he did so, bullets came flying and filled with holes a construct that was about to cut him in half with a great sword.

The constructs all started filing and regrouping, marching towards the intruders, weapons in hand. Naruto quickly generated seven more clones and spread them out. "Alright, you guys keep the small fries at bay, Johnathon and the knights, you are on me, and we gotta take that big guy down, and fast!" Racing towards the thing, he hoped they could handle that.

The seven clones saluted before charging, each ducking from a blow that could dispel them.

One clone did a jumping roundhouse kick and smashed the head of an automaton to pieces. Another had taken out his katana to deflect the energy shots from another; each movement was nearly a blur as he closed the distance and slashed the thing in half.

Arthur parried blades with an automaton; it's the crystalline lines on its blade shimmering on impact. Blow after blow they met, until he swatted away the blade with a bash of his shield and kicked the machine in the chest, it was impaled by a clone of Naruto's. "Behind you!" He shouted.

Arthur quickly turned and blocked the strike from a spear; the machine twirled the weapon and slammed it upon him. The knight kept his shield up, absorbing the blows as they came again and again.

 _Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu_ _! (Water Release: Water Bullet!)_

A powerful stream of water slams into the Automaton's chest plate sending skidding back away from Arthur. The young knight huffs lowering his shield, looking over to the blond fox man who smirks at him. "My thanks..!"

Kicking away a small machine Miru glances to the larger one, she spots the crack in the chest plate due to the fox Faunus's attack. "You made a weak point!"

Taking a quick look around, he saw the number of machines had dwindled to the point his clones where taking care of the rest without much difficult. "Let's focus on the big one!" He heard Johnathan shout as he kept firing shot after shot at the chest.

Naruto nodded. "Come on!" He waved an arm, and the knights followed him charging at the giant machine. He jumped over the thing's limbs, climbing over its halo-like plating on its back and jumping down at its chest, his blade blazed red with fire as he twirled it before jamming it into the construct's chest.

The automaton raised a hand to crush him, but it was swatted away as a fast moving object collided with it. Lorenzius had jumped into its arm and stabbed the wrist's crystalline joint. He twisted the blade and hit the crystal with the edge of his shield, causing energy to fizzle out of the crystal and the hand to move erratically.

The blonde grit his teeth as he pulled the blade trying to pry open its chest, but the thing was still too tough, and the blade didn't go all the way through.

Suddenly, two more blades rammed into the chest next to his. He saw Miru and Arthur next to him, and felt the struggle on their faces even beneath the helmets as together they pushed deeper and sought to tear apart the plating. Arthur threw slid his shield further up his arm, freeing his left hand so he could gather a sphere of golden light and slammed it on the hilt of his blade, imbuing it with power. Miru followed suit, though her shield charged up with runes and she slammed the edge into the end of the blade, burying it deeper into the machine. Naruto summoned his blue fire, channeling through the blade, angry flames shifted from red to blue.

The plate heated up and glowed, the cracks on it began to melt. Suddenly, the arm came back, with Lorenzius still on top, and swatted them away with its forearm. The blonde and the knights were thrown hard to the ground, but the force of the attack had made their blades pry a piece of its chest, revealing a large sphere of energy with several rings rotating around it.

Johnathan's eyes widen seeing the core of the giant automaton now revealed. Back to his feet, Naruto looks to his friend; "Think you can hit it?"

The cowboy looks at the spinning rings on the blue sphere. The large machine kept moving forward despite its 'injury', spinning the blade on its remaining functional hand.

"Can you keep it still for a moment?" He asked while reloading.

Naruto shared a look with the knights, they nodded to him. "You got it" The four ran to the thing once more, Naruto waved his arms and shouted. "Hey you ugly piece of old metal! Wanna hit us? Come on we're easy targets!"

The machine looked at him and let out a deep screeching metallic noise. Its eyes flashed red for a moment, and its spear began shining with power.

"...This might have been a mistake" He acknowledged as the great automaton lifted its pear. Naruto brought his blade up diagonally, pressing his palm against the flat side. There shields came upon it, the knights adjusted around him to form up a defense.

The spear came down in a sweeping arc and impacted upon the shields with a flash of light, through their combined strength the pushed on, yet their knees buckled under the immense pressure.

"John!" Naruto grunted through gritted teeth. He pushed the blade under the shields as much as he could, and felt the knights give it their all, yet the machine continued; it would not relent by neither would they. "Whenever you're ready..!"

"Shots like this require patience" He calmly stated as he lined up his rifle.

"Don't be a smartass!"

The cowboy didn't answer; his attention was solely focused on the chest, on the spinning rings over the core. He needed to wait for the right moment, and for that he had to anticipate on the rings rotation.

He took a deep breath and time seemed to slow down for him, the rings kept on a nearly hypnotic pattern, a rhythm he soon found himself growing familiar with, a song whose lyrics he could anticipate...

Slowly, ever slowly in his eyes, he found his opening.

There.

He pulled the trigger, and the bullet combusted out of the rifle, spinning through the air. It closed the distance and neared the core, one ring passed by before it could it, as it passed through another ring rotated right behind it, nearly grazing it. The last ring was mere millimeters away of being hit by the bullet's trajectory, but this one also missed.

The bullet pierced the core, and arcs of energy began to run wild all over the great machine's body.

"Cover!" Lorenzius yells as everyone rushes out of the room as the giant automaton stood still while making sporadic movements. It makes a low screeching sound before falling onto the ground, exploding violently.

The ground shakes as dust and fire blasts out the door the five ran out of. Naruto covering his fox ears while Johnathan holds his hat in place. "I love it when a plan comes together," pulled out a cigarillo and lighting it. Either not noticing or caring that the others were looking at him with annoyance.

The knights just share a collective sigh. Naruto rolls his eyes. "You get used to his attitude"

"I'd rather not..." The female knight deadpanned.

The sound of a communicator suddenly went off. Arthur tapped a finger to the side of his helmet. He put in on speaker so the others could hear. 'We heard explosions, is everything alright down there?'

"We're fine brother-sergeant. There were automatons inside, but we took them out with the help of our friends here" He replied.

'Good job knights, we'll head down there immediately to secure any relics'

"Understood" With that he cut of the communication. He placed his hands around his helmet and pulled it out, he sighed while shaking his head, revealing a mass of messy blue hair, a handsome youthful face and green eyes. He smiled at them. "Our thanks for helping us with this" He extended his arm, "We haven't been properly introduced. My name's Arthur Skye"

The cowboy shakes Arthur's hand; "Major Johnathan Wilhelm. That's Sargent Naruto Uzumaki. Now we are formally introduced."

Lorenzius and Miru shared a look. "General Wilhelm's son?" He said with surprise in his voice. "I've heard about you, no wonder you were able to make that shot"

Johnathan snorts at that; "Trust me when saying it took a lot of blood, sweat, and bullets to get where I am."

"And El Zorro Dorado. Taking down two warlords and that massive slaver ring got you some attention from our elders," Miru says looking to the blond Uzumaki.

"All in a day's work" He really loved that nickname. Granted the first time he heard it he had no idea what it meant. Why did Remnant have to have so many languages? Fortunately one day he understood the one they talked about was him when another gang said the same nickname in their tongue. Kinhitsune, 'The Golden Fox'.

"We should proceed with inspecting the ruins for relics" Arthur says before nodding. "Again, we thank you for the help"

"We can help you with that you know" Johnathan offered. "You don't know if the Ancients left more surprises for us"

"Hopefully" Miru quipped as she headed back inside. "They'll be good surprises this time"

A short while later, the rest of the knights had come inside to expect the ruins and the wreckage left by their fight. Naruto and Johnathan mostly stayed in the sidelines as the knights gathered what they could find. Their order was always so paranoid, never trusting 'outsiders' with things they claimed others couldn't handle. It made Naruto get a headache from how difficult they could be, shifting from honorable warriors to unbearable pricks from one moment to another.

A knight ran an inventory of their findings to their sergeant. "Seems a pretty standard cache of Ancients' relic. Some weapons that channel and amplify aura, caster staffs, and some pieces of Dust enchanted gear"

The leading knight 'hmph'ed in reply. "A standard cache doesn't have a giant Sentinel guarding it over" He says, looking over the remains of the great automaton. "There must something else hidden here"

"Sir!" One of the knights shouted, they turned to see the knight standing at the end of the chamber, where a pedestal with a curious looking box stood. "Found something!"

As they approached, they noticed the box had a small crystal at the center; lines of energy carried a soft pulse around it. Sharing a look with his subordinates, the sergeant pressed the crystal. Like a puzzle, the box shifted and opened a large golden crystal which emanated a warm soothing light. This wasn't any form of dust; this crystal had be cut and refined into the shape of a diamond with runic markings all over it.

The knights gasped. "Could it be..?" One of the wandered in awe.

Arthur smiled. "The gods have sent us a gift"

Smoking his cigarillo, with his back leaning against the wall and arms crossed. Johnathan eyes the glowing crystal; "Now ain't that interesting."

The blond fox tilts his head curiously; "Okay what is it?"

"Nothing you two need to worry about," the lead knight speaks up. He turns to them; "The Brotherhood thanks you for your assistance Journeymen."

This was the polite way of saying 'buzz off' to the duo. With a small wave to Arthur they start their way out of the mine.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

It was a mostly quiet drive back to Howling News. Except for them expression a common sentiment shared by many.

"Brotherhood, man..." The blond Uzumaki mumbles.

Johnathan blows out some smoke, "Tell me about it"

Both go silent as they soon see the walls of HNR. Turning the wheel, Naruto drives for the well-fortified parkway at the settlement's back. Slowing the truck, the massive steel gates to the parking lot opens as they drive down the low ramp.

Parking the truck in a garage, Naruto steps out and stretches. "Think I'll visit Jack, see how he's doing" He was tired after working all day, maybe he could relax for a while Jack played some music on his radio channel. "Wanna come with me?"

"Maybe later" Johnathan replies. "I'm going to get a drink, and then I have to go back to headquarters"

"Alright" They firmly shake hands. "It was nice to save your ass again"

"I remember me doing most of the work today"

The few people down in the garage only roll their eyes hearing the normal 'I'm a bigger badass than you' banter coming from Naruto and Johnathan. Nothing like hearing young alpha male crap on a Monday.

Stepping into the market area, both split up heading for their desired destination. Naruto could only smile feeling so at home in this place.

He entered the main building where Howling News Radio was located, greeting a few people as he passed by. He heard Jack's typical howling through the station's speakers as he relayed the latest news and put on some music.

"'Ruto!" A blur collided against his stomach; he let out a painful 'omph' as the excited able ball of never-ending energy known as Sara hugged him. "You're back!"

He chuckled as he ruffled the hair in between her cat ears. He saw a woman wearing a plain white shirt and jeans approach him with a smile, she had green eyes and short brown hair, long earrings dangling from her ears along with a pair cat ears on her head. She looked like an older version of what the girl hugging him would one day look. "We missed you here today" Mary said with a smile

The former shinobi gives an apologetic smile; "Sorry, Sally needed me. Then had some work against some Grimm, then got a call that Brotherhood needed help." His large, fluffy fox tail picks up Sara with ease. She giggles giving him a large smile as Naruto puts her in his arms.

Mary gives a dry snort; "So did the 'holler than thou' tin cans actually lower themselves to ask for help"

"Ouch..." Naruto's fox ears fall forward before looking to Sara; "Think your mom is more cynical about the Brotherhood than I am."

"What's cyrocal?"

"Cynical" He replies with amusement as he ruffles her hair. "It means your mommy is grumpy about stuff"

"Oh" The four year old says in understanding. "But I already knew that, daddy says it all the time"

A dry look comes from Mary with Naruto trying not to snicker too much. "Oh he does, does he? Me and daddy will have a talk later." She soon glares to the blond; "Oh hush you." She takes her daughter into her arms.

 _'Like the rush~!'_

Naruto looks over to the radio booth as that band Chevelle he recalled right plays. Honestly the names for these bands... Still kicked ass though. Taking off his headset, Jack walks out; "Hey! Naruto, what's up fox man?"

He grasps the dark maned man's forearm and shakes it. "Been busy all day with work"

"Ah, would have said so sooner" He goes over a refrigerator. "Let me get you something to drink"

The blonde sits on a large sofa and sighs while leaning back. "Well, now I can finally sit back and re-" His Scroll suddenly began beeping. He placed it on his ear. "Hello?"

'Hey, heard you and John did good work today Naruto' He knew that deep voice anywhere.

"Oh hey Grey" Naruto replied with a smile. "Yeah, nothing to major" Nothing compared to some of the stuff the general of the Journeymen dealt with most of the time.

'Glad to hear' He heard him sigh on the other end. 'So' the sound of his tongue clicking was heard. 'Hate to bother you with more work, but something else has come up'

The blonde groaned and pinched his nose. "Of course it has..."

'We've caught the location warlord we've been hunting for a while now, we finally found him in Vale.' Jack, Mary, and Sara notice Naruto standing straighter with a serious expression. 'We found him at that club run by Hei Xiong aka Junior.'

"Vincente..." Jack's eyes narrow at the name.

'Exactly, I want you and your mother to go get this guy.'

"We're on it"

'Good' the general said, pleased. 'If he doesn't let you, don't bring him alive'

"Got it" With that he hang up. He sees the family of three looking at him. "Duty calls again" He shrugs.

"You said something about Vincente?" The radioman asks.

The blonde nods. "Yeah, a warlord is going to a see someone named Junior at his club, he works for Vincente Falcone"

"The mob boss?" Mary questions in bewilderment. There were few people who hadn't heard of him, the greatest crime lord of Vale. His influence was such it even expanded outside the city and into the wildlands. "What does a warlord want with him?"

"To do business most like it" Jack reasons. "A gang leader of the wilds and a mob boss of a kingdom? That just spells trouble for everyone"

"I know" Naruto replied seriously as he dialed his mother. "Mom, we've got a job in Vale"

XxX ~ Nightfall ~ XxX

Vale. It's capital a great metropolis of culture and industry. One of the four great kingdoms, the largest bastions of humanity against the Grimm. The kingdoms were centers of development and advancement, their vast territories, their military power and their Huntsmen Academies made them the superpowers of Remnant.

In the kingdoms, life was easier than in the wildlands, protected by both natural and man-made defenses, with a thriving economy and no lack of essential resources. The kingdoms' domains sometimes extended to settlements and lands in the wildlands, promising to keep them under protection and share with them their progress. Of course, it didn't always work, the wildlands had too many dangers and the kingdom couldn't be everywhere at the same time.

He had been to Vale a few times; most of the problems he had seen the people deal with were the treatment of faunus. He could honestly say he had met more humans and Faunus getting along in the wilds than in a kingdom. Desperation and the need to survive didn't let you be picky about your allies after all.

Now they were here again, in the hunt for a dangerous warlord of the wilds who no doubt had plans to make a deal with the criminal empire of the Vale underground. They couldn't allow that to happen.

As street lights illuminating the night sped by, becoming blurs in his eyes, he honestly wondered why he had let his mother drive.

"Oh I wish they had these back home dattebane," Kushina says with a child-like grin. Her fox ears twitching while her tail partially sways.

 _'And John bitches about my driving...'_

A man lets out a shrill scream as he jumps out of the way of the speeding pick-up truck, this one getting honks all over as it passes over a red light.

"Wow people are sure grumpy in the kingdoms" The redhead comments due to all the hostility and profanities she was getting from pedestrians and drivers alike.

Naruto prayed to any deity out there to not let him die at the hands of his mother's horrifying driving skills.

"Say you look pretty tired hun" She says while pulling a close turn, making the wheels screech against the ground and Naruto's face collide against the window. "You've been working all day. Why don't you take the night off? I can handle it"

Peeling his face off the window, the blond Uzumaki looks to his mother. "You're sure?"

Kushina snorts; "Please I have fought way more dangerous people. Go roam the town, see the sights, find a girlfriend maybe."

"Well, if you say so..." He mumbled and stepped out of the vehicle. "Good luck mom, be careful"

"Please" She laughed. "You know who you're talking to" With that, she sped up uncontrollably, running over a stand of vegetables. The owner despaired and wailed 'My cabbages!'

The blonde sighed. He loved his mother, but good gods she was a danger...

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

The streets were quiet as a yellow and black painted motorcycle turns a corner. Long golden locks flows in the wind. She could never stop smiling while driving her bike. The feeling of all that torque. The bike screeched to a halt as she stopped in front of the nightclub. She frowned at the amount of vehicles present near the entrance, they looked worn through long years of use, and it was clearly they had seen a lot of combat, yet they looked highly customized and sturdy. They looked more like vehicles designed for war than for transport.

A man exited the club, with several men in black suits beside him. He had slanted, dark-green eyes and bright long orange hair, with long bangs covering his right eye. He wore a black bowler hat with a red band and a small feather, and black eyeliner around his eye. He also wore a red-lined white suit and a small gray scarf, along with black gloves with rounded sleeves, as well as long black pants and black shoes. On his hand was a cane. Six men in dark suits and red sunglasses walked alongside him.

The orange headed man took a drag from a cigar and smirked at her while he passed by. "Things are about to get tense in there sweetie. I wouldn't go in if I were you..." He chuckled at the last part as he and his group disappeared into the street.

Yang frowned as she took off her helmet, letting the rest of her long curly blonde mane free. Hei Xiong, commonly known as 'Junior' was known information broker who worked for the local mafia. He could have the answers she needed, clues that could possibly lead to HER... she wasn't backing down just because it might be dangerous. In fact, that made it all the more interesting.

Her ears pick up the dance music giving her a smirk as she starts walking in. She winks at the bouncer who only grunts as he lets her in. The beats to the music pulse louder as the slide door opens.

Techno music filled the dancing stage; reflectors of multiple colors flashed their lights all over the place. The wide dance floor was surrounded by pillars of glass. A DJ wearing a stuffed bear's head stood over platform while he swayed to the rhythm.

The patrons around the place... didn't look very friendly. Men and women of varying ages, they all shared a style of leather jackets with torn pants. Scars and the dust of many days without a shower covered them. They carried many weapons, from swords and axes to pistols and rifles. They partied liked a bunch of wild animals, making noises too loud even for a night club, and drank hug jugs of beers to their hearts content. The same kind of dark suited men she had seen before didn't seem too please with having them here.

She strutted about the place with confidence, earning quite a few looks and whistles. "Hey baby, why don't you dance with me?!"

A long haired woman smirked predatorily at her. "Ven conmigo preciosa y divirtámonos un rato"

While she was flattered by their advances, even if she didn't understand half of what they were saying, she focused on her task. She spotted a tall bearded man near the bar, she recognized him from the pictures she had seen, that was Junior. He was speaking to another man, and wasn't all too happy about it by the looks of things.

The other man had long pulled back spiky dark hair. A burn in the shape of a lightning bolt crossed his face from a corner of his forehead, over his nose, and to his left check. He wore a long dark tattered sleeveless coat with bandages around his arms, and fingerless gloves. His pants were dark and baggy, and had boots with metal tips at the end. Aside from his scar, his most defining trait was those electric blue eyes which nearly shined in the dark ambient of the club. At his back Yang could see the edge of two curved serrated blades.

"Come on amigo mio, this is a sweet deal I'm offering Don Vincente" He spoke with accented voice. "If he shares his influences from his territories in the wildlands with me puedo volvernos ricos a todos."

Junior, clearly understanding what he was saying, didn't look pleased. "Don Vincente doesn't deal in flesh"

He waves off his rebuttal. "Los esclavos son buen negocio. He just needs a little convincing" He smirks a toothy grin. "You'll put a good word for me no?"

Yang's lilacs eyes shift around, soon noticing one person who did not look liked she belong to this bunch.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Sitting at a table well hidden, none even seeing her enter in the nightclub, Kushina watched carefully with junior speaking with her target for the evening. Leonardo Centella, a vicious warlord and slaver. The kind of people she hated more than most.

 _'And he brought his buddies. Oh joy dattebane._ ' No skin off her teeth one way or the other. Just more ass to kick. Her velvet eyes also take notice of the new person entering the club.

A blond girl at least of her son's age. Wearing a tan vest with gold piping over a yellow low-cut crop top showing off her ample cleavage. The leather vest having puffy cap sleeves with black cuffs with two small golden buttons. A tan leather belt over a pair of skin tight black shorts, with knee length tan boots. A scarf around her neck, overall quite the get up.

She heard the whistles and cat calls she was getting. _'Not the best attire to bring in a place with these kind of people sweetie_ ' But she noticed the blonde taking it all in stride. _'Least she's confident'_

Her eyes shifted back to the warlord, waiting for him for the opportunity to jump and take him out. Kushina could see Vincente's man, Junior, wasn't too thrilled about his presence.

"I told you, Don Vincente doesn't run that kind of business" He said with force in his voice, he turned his back to the warlord, leaving him speechless for a moment.

Kushina was about to take her katana when she noticed the girl approaching Junior. ' _What are you doing?_ '

Her vulpine ears managed to overhear their conversation.

"They tell me you can find anyone. Tell me where to find her" She showed him the image of a person she couldn't discern.

He sighed tiredly; weary of all of today's affairs. "Look, I don-" He was suddenly grabbed by the shoulder and turned around, making him face Leonardo once more.

"Listen, I don't think you got understand how this is" The warlord exclaimed through clenched teeth. "You send word to your boss, and tell him to join me in this. Entendido?"

Junior swatted his hand. "You may be used to getting what you want out there" He brings his faces close to his, baring his teeth. "But Don Vincente doesn't make deals with scum like you"

"Excuse me" Yang proclaimed with annoyance. "I was talking to you"

Leonardo's rage filled gaze glances over her. "Beat it girl" He gave her a thoughtful look. "Hmm, maybe you'll like to have some fun when I'm done. But meanwhile" He suddenly knocks junior straight in the jaw, sending him over the bar. "You don't know who you're dealing with pendejo. Nobody" He seethes and reaches for a weapon on his back. "Says no to me"

Suddenly, everyone in the bar had a weapon pointed at the other.

Kushina felt her eye twitch before sighing as she stand pulling up her face mask; _'off to work..._ ' "Leonardo Centella!"

Eyes soon dart right to a gorgeous redhead fox Faunus, Kushina wearing her custom Anbu gear with a long sleeve version of her late husband's coat split in the back like her son's for her tail, minus the collar. In her hand they see a sheathed katana. Her violet eyes cold as she glared to the Warlord. "The Journeymen send their regards."

Their eyes soon widen as their minds register the woman standing before them. "La Muerte Roja..."

"The hell's a Journeyman doing here?" One of Junior's goons wondered.

"Ah shit" Many among Leonardo's men take a step back, frightened at the sight of the woman.

The warlord rolls his eyes. "Stop shaking like ancienas! She's just one woman with an over blown reputation" He soon glares at her. "Look, this has been a shitty day for me, so why don't you turn around now before you get hurt?"

"Hey!" The young blonde shouted at him, Leonardo looked at her like one would an annoying fly. "I came here to ask questions, so you lot better settle down before I make you!"

A deep shout of utter irritation is heard. Junior stands up from the bar, rubbing his jaw. "That's it! Kill everyone here, I don't care who, just do it!" He commanded his men. "Miltia, Melanie!"

A pair of twin raven haired girls appear, one in a white dress, the other red, the former had bladed high heels while the latter had metallic claws on her hands. The girl in the white dress crosses her arm; "Wild land scum, they're dirtying the club Miltia."

"Agreed Melanie... Let's take them out. Boys!" The men in black suits soon charge with weapons ready.

"HEY!"

All eyes fell on the redheaded fox woman. "I came here to do my damn job, not to start a freaking bar fight!" She points a finger at the warlord who was starting to look seriously pissed off as this whole situation. "So we you better come quietly or else I-

BANG! The gunshot came from one of the bandits, seeking to take her out while she was distracted. Not distracted enough as Kushina had deflected the bullet with blurry fast drawing of her sword. Purple eyes stared dispassionately at the attacker who gulped in turn, suddenly feeling he had made a huge mistake.

She let out a long suffering sigh. "Okay, we're doing this apparently..."

Then she moved, one second she was standing in front of them, the second she was face to face with the warlord, clashing her swords against a pair of serrated blades connected to the handles of two handguns.

Suddenly, it was chaos. With gangsters and bandits fighting everywhere in the club, tearing it apart.

Pushing back, the warlord slashed out at the redheaded journey-woman, and aimed for her instantly, firing without hesitation. However she rushed through it all, deflecting each bullet and waiting for an opening, all whilst kicking thugs back and tripping others to the ground.

Junior had managed to blow the buxom blonde girl and back hand her out of the way, onto the dance floor. Seeing the warlord having trouble, he turned his sights on Kushina, and went to blast her too. As he fired his rocket, Kushina noticed just in time to cut the missile in half and let it pass, only to find the distraction enough for the warlord to rush in and slash at her swiftly.

Getting no room for her own strikes, as her counter attack went ineffective against him blocking her upward slash after getting down to dodge his strike, she jumped back and into a stance. "You two are making a big mistake..."

Junior snorts arrogantly; "The only mistake lady was you coming in here." He charges the fox woman. Only for the bar owner's jaw to be slammed by the redhead's fist which sent him flying through a pillar.

XxX ~ Yang ~ XxX

Jumping back to her feet, Yang shook the dust off, cleaning the rubble from her clothes. "Well, that was rude." Before she could really focus, she noticed the goons all around her. "Well, this is quite the pickle, too many dance partners for little ole' me. Hmph, I think I can narrow the partners down to a single man." Stepping into stance, her gauntlets sprang open, covering her arms and loaded the shells into position for firing. "Let's dance, boys!"

As three ran up to her, she fired behind her, blasting forth like a rocket and sending a heavy knee into the first goon, ducking under the swing of the other two as they smacked each other, only to jump and kick them both out herself. Smirking, the buxom blonde was ready for a fun night.

XxX ~ Kushina ~ XxX

As she fought, Leonardo was up top with Kushina, slamming his blades into her blocking sword, and pushing her back again. As she was stopped at the ledge, she knew she had to get out of this. Junior had charged her, swinging for her head, she ducked and spun, tripping him and then slamming her hilt into his back and throwing him into the dance floor as well, only to jump and dodge Leonardo's slashing attack again. Landing behind him, she landed on her sword, which she slammed down on his dual thrust back at her, and could only kick out in retaliation.

Though it would seem this warlord was no pushover, not like some idiotic fatso's she faced, and ducked under her kick, twisting and firing at her as she landed, making her dance back again and jump behind the bar.

The warlord growls; "Crees que te puedes ocultar mujer?!" Leonardo only snarls more getting a middle finger from the other side of the bar.

Scoffing in frustration, he fired at the offending digit, only to miss before he had to reload. During the reload, however, Kushina was up and was upon him faster than he could eject the magazines and kicked hard. Leonardo was also pretty fast, as it turned out, as he kicked her leg down and slashed for her head.

Clashing against his swing, Kushina slammed her blade against his and sunk her feet into the floor, digging in and pushing the man back. However, she was soon thrown once Leonardo grabbed the side pillar with his blade and used it as leverage to kick her leg, and threw her balance way off. With this chance, he grabbed her and kicked off the ground, pulling her and throwing her into the dance floor, knocking a few goons over before standing up. With a smirk, he reloaded and got ready for when she was tired, knowing she'd have to get out of this mob.

Flipping back to her feet, while grabbing her sword, the gangsters and raiders all knocked down slowly stand, all looking her way. The redheaded fox woman huffs in annoyance. "Well boys we going stand here all night?"

After looking at each other for a few seconds, they ran for her, attacking her as their friends were still being knocked around by blondie. With little hesitation, Kushina went into fury mode, slashing out with effortless precise strikes, landing blow after blow. Tossing one guy into the air with the back of her sword before cutting the weapon of the man beside him, kicking a third down and then the fourth up. As the fourth man came back down she slammed her elbow into his jaw and made him flip three times backwards before falling flat on the floor, his flips causing him to kick two men down that were trying to pass before her strike.

The young blonde woman was even busier, as she was kicked back by a chick in a white dress.

"You need help," Kushina asks grabbing a thug by his neck with her tail and throwing him at the DJ who was smart enough to duck.

Yang huffs, "I'm good lady."

Blasting forward with her Ember Celica, she was finished playing with the kid gloves. Her hair glowing, she sent a hard right into one man's gut, and with a quick turn provided by propulsion of her gauntlets, she spin kicked him into the nearby wall. Not stopping her momentum, she increased it further in time to flip and bring down a hard axe kick, knocking a goon into the floor and backwards along his face.

Firing backwards, she flipped and landed on one guy. "Going down!" Blasting again, she sent the man on his back so fast he bounced back up, leaving her room to slam a kick into his back and send him flying. As another goon finally got a swing off, however, she blocked it with her gauntlets and fired into the floor, causing the man to trip and gives her the leverage to toss him behind her into the next goon. As she was cleaning up her side, she had to quickly dodge the first burst of a rifle from up top. The man in the bear mask, the DJ, had finally had enough of their interruptions, and started firing on Yang with all he had.

Before Kushina could finish her own fight, which included breaking another goon's sword and stomping on his back, she saw Yang speedily dodge and serpentine her way to the DJ before blasting up and knocking him back. Though she didn't see everything, she did see how it ended, as the man's bear head came flying off and the man himself was flat face first on the ground. Though it would seem Yang was not out of the woods, as the woman in white had a sister, one in red and with claw weapons in her hands. She lounged at the blonde like a wolverine.

The redheaded fox woman nods appreciatively seeing the girl hold her own. Her senses being always sharp, Kushina sharply turns ready to bring down her next opponent only to stop her blade just short to a young and very frightened teenage boy.

Shaking fearfully while holding a red sword. Kushina slumps forward lowering her blade looking at the boy dryly. She soon stands straight, slashing through the kid's sword piece by piece. The kid only looks in terror as Kushina stops destroying his sword at the hilt. Dropping his now destroyed sword he lifts his hand up in surrender.

Titling her head, Kushina soon grabbed by the boy by the collar. Lifting up her knee she puts him over it before smacking the boy's backside hard with the flat-side of her katana. "THIS. IS. WHAT. YOU. GET. FOR. FUCKING. AROUND. WITH. GANGSTERS!" Smacking him one last time she lowers her knee as he runs off crying. "Go home to your mother!"

Yang, up top, was having difficulty with her own fight, at least for the moment as the red dressed twin slashed at her and flipped her in the air for her sister to drop kick back down to the dance floor, and then slams into her in the floor causing the floor to break. Flipping, she kicked Yang back up and let her red dressed sister slash at the blonde, making her block before getting cut. Though this caused her to be launched into a nearby pillar.

Kushina was about to join in, but was stopped by the gunfire drawn by Leonardo, the warlord was up top firing every bullet he could in her direction. Flipping back and under cover, she looked on to see the blonde young woman not only get herself out of the pillar, but suddenly explode with energy, her hair flaring like fire and her eyes turning red. ' _That semblance..._ '

Not even needing to use her gauntlets to move forward, she was in the face of the twins and grabbed both their heads before rushing them into the ground and slamming their heads together and into the floor with enough force to crack the floor and cause a crater, before she finished she fired her shotgun gauntlets and blasted both into the air and up into the balcony, knocking them both out with brutal efficiency.

Smiling, Kushina was rather nostalgic. _'Kinda like when I was holding Kyuubi, during the third shinobi war. If she can gain some control, she'll be unstoppable. Though her eyes remind me of someone_.' Her time to think about that wild fighter she met ages ago was past, when she ducked under the slicing blades from behind that cut straight through the support pillar she was under, and the entire balcony above her fell. Getting out of there, she watched as Leonardo cut through the rubble and pointed both barrels at her, smoke covering his movements.

Seeing this, the blonde came rushing beside the redhead. "Need a little help there?"

Kushina and Leonardo stare at each other for several minutes; "Stay behind me. Trust me when saying you're not ready to fight someone like this."

At that Yang glares; "You calling me weak lady?"

"She's saving your life muchacha. Eres buena, pero te falta un largo camino para luchar contra alguien como ella o yo;" The warlord says with a dark smirk.

Glaring at Leonardo, the redhead twirled her sword in her hand, stopping it along her arm and behind her. "You know, never got your name. Give it a few more years and you might even give me a run for my money Blondie. But right now... Take my advice. Stand down, watch... and learn." In a blur, she was upon the warlord, bunting his gun with her handle, keeping his retaliation strike along her blade under her arm and twisted with the force, slamming a heel against the man.

Though he took the force of the kick with his other blade, hoping to cut into her foot. But she took the kick in stride and knocked the blade up instead of back, making him back up. She was trying a different approach. So far, her straight attacks were being blocked with little effort, she needed to drive him to open up, and that would mean every attack she could pull.

As he aimed for her, the warlord fired and backed up to get the distance, only for every bullet to be blocked by a swirling blade, closing in with a rush attack. Taking a chance, he twirled his bladed from forward to back, going defensive as she stabbed forward with several strikes, aiming for every vital. Blocking the first strike, he got into the grove, taking each stab with its stride, cutting into her blade and tossing it, giving her footing more of a workout than her strikes needed.

Pushing forward, Kushina pulled back her blade, grabbed it by the top and pushed with all her might, slamming Leo into the wall as he blocked her blade from cutting into his throat. Slashing down, the warlord got one blade out and about, twisted it and slabbed for the redhead. Smirking, he thought he had her, only to feel his blade slam down form her feet kick into it and backing out, flipping and cutting his arm, though his Aura protected him. As he twirled his blades up again he struck with a low cutting sweep, twirling for a second when she jumped over the first.

Seeing him going for her legs, she jumped the first strike, but saw him move for the next. Slamming her sword down, she balanced on it, making his next strike trip only her sword, giving her momentum to spin and drop low. Ducking low, she managed to dodge his double swing up, where he presumed she would have gone, and with that, he gave her that opening, and with a big pushing step, she cut into him, bypassing his aura. But this one was strong enough to take every inch of the blade.

The only thing that shocked Kushina was not how easy it was to get in, but the sudden counter that was his Semblance, when her sword slashed through his Aura, her whole body was lit up with electrical energy, causing her to scream.

"Red!" Yang yells out as Leonardo kicks the former Anbu captain back to the buxom blond. The young teen caught her as the redhead's body spasms from the shock.

Leonardo chuckles; "Muchos hablan de la Muerte Roja. Many fear your name alone. But can you really back that up?"

Seeing red, Yang snarls as she charges, "Bastard!"

With little effort, Leo blocked her first strike. Thanks to the time that has passed, even he knew her semblance was running out. She was strong, but her stored energy was diminished after her ending blows, and he stood, blocking each strike and taking the shotgun blasts in stride.

Kicking at her, he was actually impressed she used her fist to block his kick, giving him a small bruise, but with extra speed he kicked her fist away and then slammed her chest, flipping her back. The blonde haired boxer landed on her feet and boosted herself forward and up, dropping the hammer with a twisting back fist that slammed against his blade, but didn't budge his stance at the least. landing, she found herself tripped by his other blade and then slammed into the ground by the next strike. Before she could roll away, Yang was kicked hard and slammed into the broken bar.

Smiling, the warlord reloaded his pistols, and walked to the shaking redhead as she started getting on her feet.

Kushina glances to where the blond teen was thrown into the broken bar. Leo nodding approvingly; "She has talent. I may keep her after killing you Muerte Roja. Maybe an enforcer or a good toy."

The redhead's fox ears turn back as a pronounced frown forms on her face. "The only thing that you'll get is me, burying my blade in your heart" Taking the pain in stride, she stood up, gripping her sword tightly in hand. Her eyes turning to slits, her fox fire sprouted around her sword as she slashed at the man, a bladed flame rolling at him swiftly.

With wide eyes, the warlord jumped out of the way and started firing at her, but before his fingers could even press the triggers, she was on him, and he was forced to block the sword cutting up into him. With surprising strength, the redhead blew through his defense and kicked him back, flipping with the kick and kicking off her landing to rush him yet again.

Flipping back, the warlord stood on his blades and fired down, lifting up and away from her sword slamming down, causing a firestorm of an earthquake where he once stood. kicking off the roofing, he slammed down upon the redhead, who lifted her blade to block, but the force of his strike slammed her face forward. Though it also tore him away from a quick strike, he fired at her as he rose up, hopping to use this advantage. The problem with his plan was apparently when she put her hands on his blades and kicked off the ground, flipping forward and with a scorpion kick to the head he was stunned temporarily.

Grabbing her sword after her flip, she sheathed it. A blur was all he saw as the red hair flowed behind her, and her foot stepped on his, keeping him in place. With all his willpower, he brought both blades down on her, hoping to end her, only for her unsheathing blade to cut her weapons in half, the tips flying off. In shock, he looked into her eyes, and saw red before the blade blurred. Faster than he could blink, the blade plunged itself into his chest, piercing his heart, fire spread forth from the wound.

He gasped for air, each precious breath leaving his body accompanied by whatever life was left in him. Kushina took out her blade, and his body fell limp over the floor.

The redhead grabs a cloth from her pocket, she slowly cleans her blade. She looks around at the unconscious mass of people, both wildlanders and Vincente's men, Junior still knocked silly by a broken pillar.

Her velvet eyes stop to see a conscious Yang, standing, looking at her wide eyed. "Y… You killed him…"

"That man's crimes went from murder, rape, slave trafficking, and more. He had no mercy for anyone in his path. He had it coming." Kushina sheaths her sword.

"I don't think the police will agree."

"His bounty was dead or alive," the redheaded fox woman walks over to the buxom blond. "First time seeing a person get killed?" Yang nods, her breathing was ragged, and looked like she wanted to throw up. "First time is the worst, but I have the feeling you'll be fine. Kushina Uzumaki."

The blonde looked at her in silence for a moment before answering. "Yang Xiao Long."

"I'm sorry you had to see this Yang" She felt ashamed for subjugating the girl to something she shouldn't have dealt with. Not yet at least. "Come on, let's get out of here"

For a time, the blond was silent before nodding and following after the older woman.

XxX ~ Same time across town ~ XxX

Naruto hummed to himself as he wandered the night streets of Vale, people wandered about in their business, lamps over the dark streets illuminated the way for the pedestrians. If not for the lights on some of the tall buildings' windows, the upper part of them could very well blend in with the night sky, which remained starless under so much artificial illumination. He enjoyed the buzzing life of Vale, but he preferred the night skies of the wilds where he could see the stars.

' _Let's see what to do..._ ' His mother had given him the night off, might as well enjoy it. Hopefully she wasn't getting into too much trouble.

Shaking those thoughts off his head, he spotted a small store with neon signs which said 'Dust Till Dawn', a smaller sign on the window indicated they sold more than Dust, such as candy, comic books, and other things of interest to young people.

He crossed the street and entered the shop, it was a humble one, but filled with all sorts of merchandise. He gave the man attending the place, an elderly man with the top of his head gone bald and wild grey hair around the rest, a curt nod which the elderly man returned.

He wasn't really in the mood for candy, so he skipped over to the comic book sections. Maybe he could get the new number of Samurai Rats or Roboknights. He spotted a rather short figure over a corner of the store.

She was clearly female, dressed in a black blouse, a black waist clincher with red lacing and a skirt with red trimmings, complete with a red cloak. There were cross-shaped pins holding her cloak to her shirt. Around her waist was a belt as well as a magazine pouch, along with a silver rose emblem. On her back was a large weapon, he couldn't make out what it was but it appeared to be a large gun of some kind. Her hood was up, so he couldn't see her head.

He did notice the magazine in her hands; "Hey is that the new X-Ray and Vav?"

The girl didn't answer.

"Uh, hello?" He softly tapped her in the shoulder.

Sharply turning her hooded covered head, the girl has pale white skin, short black hair with red highlights, but what got his attention are her silver eyes. Overall she is quite cute. He also finally notices the headphones covering her ears.

Tapping the side of his head, the girl blinks as she pulls down her hood taking her headphones off; "Yes?"

"Was just wondering were those the new issues," Naruto smirks good naturally.

"Oh yeah" She smiles widely but soon frowns afterwards. "But I think this is the only one here" She blinks as if having an idea, and once more smiles at him. "Wanna read it together?"

He could already tell this girl was very nice; it was in her smile and the glint of her eyes. Open cheerfulness and a bit of innocence shined in them. Not once had she strayed her gaze to his fox features as if nervous or repulsed by them. "Sure. I'm Naruto by the way" He said extending his hand.

"Ruby" She shook his hand and went back to the beginning of the comic, not minding at all that she had to start over.

He could still hear the music in her headphones playing. "What are you listening?"

"Oh, the Williams siblings"

He whistled in appreciation. "Nice" He had heard Jack playing them many times on his show, they were very good.

Ruby smiled cheerfully as she nods, both soon read together the new comic. "Are you from Vale?" the young lady asks while reading.

"Wildlands, live at Howling News Radio actually."

She lets out a long excited gasp. "You're from the wilds?" Her tone was so full of awe and wonderment. "That's awesome! I'm kinda from a bit of wilds myself, though it's not as much wild as where you are from I think. We've still got Grimm that get close, but we live near a combat academy and it's part of Vale's territory so..." She was speaking nearly a mile per second. All the while never losing the cheer in her voice.

She was rather adorable.

"We're close to Forever Fall, but still just outside Vale's territory." Naruto chuckles seeing the girl's enthusiasm.

As Ruby chats with him, wanting to know where he lives, his fox ears pick up the chime of the entrance bell. He hears several people entering the store, but what his nose pick up makes him shift his cerulean eyes.

You never forget the scent of blood.

He felt a male voice speaking at the front of the shop. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to find an open Dust shop at this hour?" His words were followed by the unmistakable sound of a gun cocking and powering up.

Naruto placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder, motioning her to lower her voice. The young red and black wearing girl noticed something was wrong the moment they heard the owner's frightened voice.

"P-Please, just take my lien and leave"

The newcomer shushed him, almost comfortingly but mockingly at the same time. "Calm down, we're not here for your money... grab the dust" He ordered, and they heard footsteps moving about by the store.

Naruto and Ruby shared a look. "This is bad..." She whispered to him.

Naruto mouths, ''Stick to the shadows''. The petite teen nods as they both crouch behind the same bookshelf. Glancing out they see men in dark business suites with red ties going for the dust containers.

 _'Vincente's men... What the hell_ ,' the blond Uzumaki lifts a brow. However his eyes widen soon seeing the man leading them. ' _...Son of a bitch..._ '

The cane, white suit, orange hair and bowler hat made the man easy to identify. Ruby apparently recognize him as well, as her eyes widened she whispered. "Wait, I think I've seen him in the news sometimes. Isn't that...?"

"Roman Torchwick" He finished for her. Of all times he had to run into that bastard again, he's caused quite the trouble in the wilds from time to time. "What is one of Vale's most wanted personally robbing a simple shop?"

The smaller girl turned to him with determination in her eyes. "We gotta stop them"

Naruto thought about going in alone, but he took another look at the weapon in her back. "Know how to fight?"

She smirked confidently at him. "Don't worry" She patted the handle of her weapon. "Crescent Rose is locked and loaded"

Naruto nodded, smiling. "Alright, on three we go in and make them go outside"

As two of Vincente's men got closer to them, the blond fox man mouths to Ruby, 'one, two, and three!"

Leaning on the front counter, Roman lifts a brow seeing two of his boys sent flying through a window along with a blond blurs and rose petals. Quickly, he looks outside seeing a teenage girl wearing a red hood and cape, standing beside someone quite well known in the underworld.

"Kinda small time for you don't you think Roman," Naruto comments as the orange haired man walks out of the store joining his men.

"What can I say Foxy;" Roman shrugs. "The good stuff can be at some simple place. But since you and Red want to play. Let's have some fun!"

The suited men just stand there looking without doing anything, hesitant to join the fight. Roman groans and waves a hand at the young ones. "Get them" He said in an exasperated tone. The men immediately moved to surround them.

Ruby took her weapon out, Naruto watched in awe as what seemed to be a type of rifle with a carbine function swift into a deadly looking scythe that was much larger than she was. She spins the weapon in her arms with great dexterity, showing a great control over the much larger object, as well as displaying sufficient strength to effortlessly wield it.

Naruto smiled in appreciation. "Think he's right, this is gonna be fun"

One of the mooks charged at them, Naruto in a blurry motion took at his blade, slamming the end of the handle into the underside his jaw. Sheathing the blade once more, he spun around and kicked the man into another guy, sending them flying smashing into a wall. Another one got close and tried to slash him with a short red blade. Naruto quickly grabbed his arm and twisted it, making him cry in pain and drop his weapon. He held unto the man to jump and kick another gangster in the face, throwing him to the ground, before spinning around and throwing the one held in his hold towards another mook who was at him with a pistol, they both collided and fell to the ground.

Ruby stabbed the blade of her scythe into the ground and jumped over the shaft to avoid the attack of a mook, she firmly lifted her legs and spun around, delivering a strong kick which knocked the glasses off the man. Standing on the ground once more, she saw two more gangsters coming at her, she pulled the trigger on Crescent Rose which gave her the speed and momentum to swing her scythe in a wide arc, knocking the two away. She slammed another gangster into the ground with the shorter end of her scythe, creating a small crater, burying into the concrete.

Another mook took out a machine gun and fired at her. But Ruby swiftly avoided the shots with quick blasts from her scythe which propelled her away; any stray shots that managed to get to her were quickly deflected by her aura. One more blasts shot her forward towards the gangster; she skidded over the ground, the speed of her dash enough to knock him over the air. Naruto jumped high in the air and delivered a powerful kick to the flying mook, sending him crashing over the ground with a painful noise.

Roman stared at the beaten bodies of his men unfazed. "Oh you were worth every penny, you truly were..." Roman looks back to Naruto and Ruby. "Well, this was an eventful evening Red, foxy." he lets his cigar fall to the street as he lifts up his cane revealing a barrel, and cross hair raising up. "But let's call it a night."

A flare shoots out of his cane with a whistling sound resembling a firework's. The two young fighters jump to the side to evade the blasts, which explodes in a flash of light and smoke, sending pieces of broken concrete everywhere.

Naruto shakes his head to stop the ringing in his ears. He looks at Ruby to see if she's okay who does them same, seeing the other wasn't wounded they give each other a small nod. As the smoke clears they turn their gazes to Roman, or rather, were Roman used to be as he now was nowhere in sight.

"Where is he?" They both turn their heads at their surroundings, trying to find the criminal.

"There!" Ruby shouts, pointing to a nearby building. He sees Roman quickly climbing up the stairs, heading towards the roof.

Hitting the last steps, Roman fast on the roof as Ruby uses her Crescent rose to get up top. In a flash of water, Naruto's appears via shunshin. "Hold it!" both yell together.

Sighing, Roman grumbles as he stops; "Persistent."

The wind soon picks up as they hear the roar of a loud engine as a small airship soon hovers near the building. The side door opens as Roman jumped in. Naruto and Ruby narrow their eyes as Roman smiles their way. "End of the line you two!"

He pulls out a red crystal and throws it. Pointing the barrel of his cane rifle he fires. "Watch out!" Naruto holds Ruby to take her out of the way.

Suddenly, they see a figure descending from the sky, intercepting the explosion at the perfect moment. As the smoke clears they see a grown woman with very light-blonde hair tied back in a bun with a curl hanging down the right side of her face. Her eyes were a bright green and she wore thin ovular glasses.

She wore a white long-sleeved suit that exposed part of her chest, and puffy sleeves that tightened near the wrist before spreading back out near her hands. Her lower body consisted of a black business skirt with buttons running in a vertical line up the front of it and lighter black-brown stockings. On her feet were black boots with brown heels. While on her back was a tattered cape that was purple inside and black on the outside, decorated by a row of diamond-shaped brown beads going horizontally across her cape. Above this line of beads appears an emblem of a tiara.

She had hold back the blast with a circle of arcane runes which shimmered a with purple light and slowly spun in slow motion, all while holding what appeared to be a riding crop which she used as a catalyst to channel her spell as the two young ones guessed.

The spectacle wearing woman hummed as she stared at the bullhead, and with a sweeping motion of her crop, she sent forward a barrage of purple blasts of energy towards it.

Her attacks land on the ship, Naruto and Ruby see Roman losing his cane and balance as the ship sways in the air. Running into the cockpit Roman looks to the woman pilot. "We've got a Huntress and El Zorro Dorado!"

Without saying a word, she gets from the seat which roman quickly takes over.

The huntress's begins to shine as she charges up a spell. Launching a blazing orb of light, it soars past the ship and expands into a giant circle of arcane sigils, as the runes disappear dark clouds and the sound of roaring thunder manifests above the bullhead.

Roman can only stare up as he tries to reign in control of the ship. "The hell...?" This level of dust spells was beyond that a simple huntress. They were dealing with a hardened veteran.

The caped blond woman brought her crop down, and immediately the moisture in the clouds she had summoned condensed and froze, bringing down a strong rain of hail with sharp shards the size of rocks. They punctured into the airship's plating, and even pierced the cockpit, forcing Roman to duck as not to have his head pierced by a deadly ice projectile.

The Huntress, Ruby, and Naruto take notice of a woman appearing at the open hatch. The trio only making out a red dress with gold trim, the rest of her cloaked in shadow. Both blond narrow their eyes seeing the gold trim begin to glow as the woman extends her hand sending a fireball at the trio.

The blond woman deflects easy with barrier spell. The fireball shatters hitting the ground, the woman in red shifts her hands as the spots where her fireball hit glows, Naruto grabs Ruby as they and huntress jump out of the way as the part of the roof explodes upwards in fire.

Letting go of Ruby, Naruto Goes through rapid hand signs; " _Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu_ ( _Water release: Water dragon Jutsu!_ )"

The huntress and Ruby feel the atmosphere around the fox man change as water from the air comes visible and wraps serpentine around the former shinobi. A dragon's head forms at the top which lets out a deafening roar.

The woman on the airship narrows her shining amber eyes, a circle of runes forms over her stretched palm as fire gathers on the center. Naruto directs the dragon, it letting out a mighty roar, its serpentine water body twisting in the air as it soars towards the bullhead.

Thrusting her hand forward the woman throws a powerful fireball which blazed like the sun. The dragon's head collided against the soaring star, its watery fangs devouring it while the fire evaporated the elemental beast. A blast resulted from the clash of heat and water immediately shrouding the entire area in mist.

They heard the roar of engines powering up once more. With a swing of her crop, the blonde woman quickly cleared away the mist in a sweeping arc. As the visibility returned, they were dismayed to see the ship was already far beyond their reach.

Naruto sighed in disappointment at Roman getting away. While the huntress kept observing the quickly disappearing airship for a moment before turning her gaze to them.

"You're a huntress..." Ruby breathed in awe, and Naruto could swear he saw stars on her eyes as she clenched her hands under her chin and stared up to the woman in utter adoration. "Can I have your autograph?"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

"He is quite skilled, and he is with the Journeymen?" A man sitting at his desk asks calmly while looking at a recording sent to his scroll.

The gears of his great office shifted constantly, casting moving shadows all over the room. The raspy voice of the man with long hair and a cybernetic eye that was shown in his monitor said. "Yeah. He even went into an Ancient's ruin, fought some constructs, even a big one, and came out without a scratch on him. He had help but still, no easy feat. He was with Grey's son, Johnathan, the whole time. They're close I think, you can't bicker so much with someone you don't respect"

The way he dispatched those Minotaurs was indeed very impressing. He shifted his gaze to another video playing on his screen, that of a red haired woman with fox traits laying waste on a nightclub, along with a young blonde haired girl. He recognized her from the profiles of the applicants to Beacon, Yang Xiao Long, and Taiyang's daughter. The older woman he had no trouble recognizing either, as she had built herself quite a reputation in the wilds and the underworld. 'Akashi', 'Muerte Roja', 'Red Death'. "His mother is equally impressive" He comments, knowing Cyrus was watching the video he had sent him.

"That she is" The marksman said. "We've been looking for something to improve relations with the wild's factions, maybe this could be it Ozpin"

"Indeed" The headmaster took a sip from his coffee. The blinking light that suddenly appeared on the screen announced him he had another call, it was Glynda. "I'll have to cut this short Cyrus, I have another call"

"Right" The man nodded and bid farewell. "Call you later Oz"

"Happy hunting" The headmaster replied with soft smile. As soon as the communication ended, he touched the blinking lip and Glynda's face appeared on screen. "Glynda" He greeted her pleasantly. "What's the matter?"

"There has been... and issue Ozpin" She tried to say delicately, but the irritation was clear on her voice.

"Oh?" Ozpin lifts a brow. "What's wrong?"

"Roman Torchwick was apparently stealing from a local dust shop when a young lady from Signal and someone who says is a Journeyman stepped in." Glynda sent the pictures which made Ozpin's eyes widen.

 _'Speak of the devil and he shall appear_ ,' the headmaster of Beacon mentally muses. "That is indeed a Journeyman, As for the girl. That is Summer's daughter, Ruby Rose." The silver haired man pauses. "Where are you? I wish to speak with them."

"At the police headquarters, I'll wait for you." the blond turns off her scroll.

The headmaster chuckles; "A small world..." His scroll suddenly beeps, and Ozpin recognizes the number. Huh, today was full of coincidences. He answers the call. "Yes, General Wilhelm"

"Sorry to call you at this hour Ozpin" The deep voice of the wizened wild lander said. "But one of my people informed me he somehow got into trouble, 'completely unfairly' he says, with one of your huntresses and now is in a police station waiting"

The headmaster chuckles. "Yes. This is all a misunderstanding I'm sure" He pauses for a moment, carefully pondering his next words. "Grey" The hunter said, abandoning all formality. "I've got a proposition to you"

"Hmm? I'm all ears"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

"Can we go now?" Naruto whined in irritation while slumping on his chair, at his side, Ruby sat awkwardly. "We didn't do anything... Hell, we actually DID to stop the robbers..! Roman got away but still..."

Glynda glares, "Regardless of you being a Journeyman. You and this young lady here put yourselves and others in danger." Ruby fidgets nervously while the blond Uzumaki looking completely bored now. "do not give me that dull look young man."

"Do I look like one of your student's lady," Naruto says dryly.

"If you were one of my students you'd be regretting those words right now"

"Well, good thing I'm not"

If looks could kill, Ruby imagined Naruto would have been reduced to nothing but a smoldering crater... And after what they saw the older woman pull off, she honestly wished he wouldn't be testing his luck with her.

"Regardless" the crop wielding woman comments. "Your actions were commendable, I'll admit. Were this any other situation I'd send you two back home with a pat on the shoulder"

Ruby smiled, her hopes that she wasn't in so much trouble rising-

"And a slap on the wrist!"

-only for them to crash down like a flaming plane.

Naruto groaned, resting his chin on his hand while leaning over the table. "How long are we gonna have to stay here? I've gotta go back home, and it ain't not exactly a short walk to the wilds"

Glynda felt her eyebrow twitch, if she weren't a top respectable Huntress and professor of Beacon she would be strangling the younger fellow blond right now. The kid is a good fighter, definitely, but his manners when speaking to his elders were surely lacking.

The older woman sighs; "But there is someone here who wishes to speak with you two." The door of the room opens.

A tall man with short grey hair, wearing a dark suit and vest, with a green shirt under it, and small round glasses. In one hand is a plate of cookies and in the other is a cup of coffee. "Sargent Naruto Uzumaki of the Journeymen, and Ruby Rose." he looks intently at the young girl. "You... have silver eyes."

 _'Well, that was an odd thing to say'_ Naruto thought, and by the look he shared with Ruby, she clearly felt the same. Sure he couldn't say he's met people with silver eyes before, but with all the weird stuff in the world (not counting the things he's seen back in the Elemental Nations) there were much noteworthy stuff out there. Oh well, everyone had their quirks.

"So" The man said, his tone shifting to one pure business. "I've seen your fight. I won't bother asking where you learnt to fight mister Uzumaki, the wildlands often demands one to be strong and skilled to survive. But you miss Rose, where did you learn how to fight?"

Ruby nervously says. "Um, Signal Academy"

"Really?" It wasn't doubt what was in his voice, but something neither of the teens could describe. "They taught you how to use one of the deadliest weapons ever designed"

"W-Well, one teacher in particular"

"I see" He replied, setting the plate of cookies between them. After a moment of hesitation, Ruby begin chowing down on them like there was no tomorrow. Naruto's eyes slowly widened as the cookies simply disappeared as in her mouth in quick succession. "It's just that I've seen only one other scythe wielder of that skill before" He lifts his gaze and slightly tilts his head in amused remembrance. "A dusty old crow..."

"Zweat mi unle," Ruby says with a mouth full of cookies. Naruto only bursts out laughing while the two adults just look at her. She quickly swallows down the sweets; "Uh, sorry...That's my uncle Qrow. He's a teacher at Signal. I was complete garbage till he took me under his wing. Now, I'm all like"

She did a sad attempt at imitating martial arts moves, all while going 'Hiiiiiii waaatchaaa hoooo' like if she was in some cheap action movie. As an accomplished hand to hand combatant himself, it was a bit embarrassing to see her do that.

"So I've noticed" Ozpin replied with an amused smile tugged at his lips. He sets down his coffee mug. "And what is an adorable little girl like you doing in a school meant to train warriors?"

Naruto sees Ruby fidgeting; "Well... I want to be huntress."

"You want to slay monsters," Ozpin lifts a brow.

Ruby nods; "I have only two years left at Signal. Then I am going to apply at beacon. Well you see my sister is going to start this year. Well she's trying to become a huntress, and I want to become a huntress. I want to help people, my parents always taught us to help others. So~ Why not make a career out of it." Ruby brought her arms up; "I mean the police are alright. But being a huntress is so much more fun, exciting, and cool! You know!"

Several blinks come from Naruto as he looks to Ozpin and Glynda; "did she even breathe through all that dattebayo?"

Goodwitch only looked at her unimpressed.

The grey haired man tilted his head. "Do you know who I am?"

"You're professor Ozpin" Ruby says without missing a beat. "You're the headmaster at Beacon"

"Hello" He said, now that they were formally introduced.

Ruby nodded. "Nice to meet you"

He studied her for a moment. "Would you like to go to my school?"

"More than anything" She breathes with emotion.

Ozpin looked at Glynda, who only huffed in annoyance and rolled her eyes. "Well, ok"

Ruby's smile couldn't grow any wider. She brought her closed hands under her chin and squealed.

"Well..." Naruto said, looking in between her and the headmaster. "Wasn't expecting this meeting to go like that" It had been a weird day so far.

"And you, mister Uzumaki" The headmaster said, turning to him. "What were you doing here?"

"We were told a warlord had managed to come to Vale to make a deal with Vincente Falcone" He explains. "Obviously, we couldn't let that happen, so me and my mom were sent to deal with him"

"Hmm, I see. And where is your mother if I may ask"

He shrugs. "She told me to take the night off; she can handle it on her own"

"I spoke with General Wilhelm; I have a proposal for you and your mother, Kushina Uzumaki. I would like you two join Beacon academy," Ozpin not beating around the bush; "Your mother as a professor, you as a student."

Leaning a little forward, Naruto cerulean narrow some; "If you asking me to quit the Journeymen I can gladly tell you where you can stick that proposal. We are shorthanded as it is out in the Wilds, and I love my job."

"Which is precisely why I am making this offer" The headmaster replies, much to the blonde's confusion. "Wilhelm will explain it better to you and your mother. Just know that this is for the benefit of all, both the kingdom and the people of the wilds"

Naruto remains silent for a moment, pondering his words. "I'll have to speak with Grey about it with my mom. See what he has to say" The headmaster wouldn't have brought up to him whatever deal he had in mind if Grey had say no to it.

Ozpin gives a small nod; "Fair enough," the headmaster stands. "For what it is worth, you and your mother have been a blessing for the wildlands. I would never ask either of you to stop doing what you love, but once you speak with the general this will prove a boon for us all."

Naruto lifts a brow as he crossed his arms.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Outside the station, a relieved sigh comes out of Ruby; "Glad that's over." She soon beams from ear to ear. "I get to join Beacon with my sister!" She squeals making the blond fox man laugh some. Stopping she looks up to the tall blond; "Would you really come to Beacon to with your mom? That would be awesome!"

Naruto breaks into a soft smile. "I don't know how this will play out" He replied honestly. "But if everyone at Beacon will be as cool as you, then yeah. That'll be awesome"

Ruby lets out an embarrassed laugh at the praise, trying to wave him off with a blush on her face. She was a good kid, Naruto mused. And couldn't help but wonder how things would be like to attend to a kingdom's Hunter's academy. Heh, with his mom as teacher things would be bound to get... interesting...

He blanched as he began imagining it. His mother was a... strong willed person. He wasn't sure if the other students would survive her. Whatever comes to pass, he hoped it wouldn't end up too embarrassing for him.

Shaking off her blush, Ruby grabs her scroll to dial for her sister, Naruto following suit for his mother. "So... how long have you been a Journeyman?" The petite teen asks out of the blue.

"Four years, it's not a boring job I will tell you that," Naruto chuckles while dialing his mother. "We're always looking for new blood if you're interested."

"Thanks... It's just being a Huntress has always been my dream... Like my mom was..."

"Ah" Was the only thing he could say at the moment. He knew that look on her eyes; it was the same he had when he was a kid and dreamt of being Hokage. "Yeah, I know how that is" He says, both with fondness and nostalgia.

They gave each other enough space to talk through the scroll. "Hey mom. How was the job?"

'Oh, not too bad. Wrecked a club. Killed the guy'

"Yeah, taking him alive was probably too dangerous... So, could you pick me up at the police station?"

'...What did you do?'

He frowns. "NOTHING. It was all a misunderstanding"

'Son that is what we always say. Case in point, I wrecked a club'

Naruto sighs. "Seriously, it was. Look it's a long story, just pick me up and I'll tell you everything'

'Sure. The police station got... Huh' her voice became distant, as if she was speaking with someone. 'You need to go there too?' The line was suddenly cut as his mother hang up.

"Who are you talking to Yang?" He heard Ruby say.

'This kick ass Journeyman lady, we kinda destroyed a nightclub,' the buxom blond shrugs. Ruby soon sees a beautiful redheaded fox Faunus looking over her sister's shoulder. 'She is super awesome!' Kushina waves which Ruby awkwardly follows suite.

'My son is with you at the station sweetie, tell Sochi we're coming.' Yang's line cuts off.

Ruby stares at her scroll for a few seconds before turning to Naruto. "So-"

"I heard" He says, pointing to his fox ears. "Huh, what are the odds?"

"It's a weird night"

"Meh, not even among my top ten"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

On the stone steps of the station, Naruto and Ruby sit together with the blond's fox tail wrapped around the petite girl to keep her warm. Absently, Ruby rubs her hand through his fluffy golden fur.

"Soft~" She giggled.

"I know right?" He grinned; he didn't want to brag but... Oh who was kidding? "You won't find a fluffier tail anywhere"

"I wish I could have a tail" She gasps as a thought occurs to her. "A wolf tail! I love wolves"

Whatever he was going to say died in his mouth as he saw a familiar ride approach. The customized pickup truck stop right in front of the station, an unfamiliar yellow bike mounted on the back. The passenger's door opened abruptly, and a beautiful long haired blonde fell from the seat.

"Oh gods!" She wailed, hugging the ground. "I'm alive... oh thank you"

"If anyone asks" His mother said, stepping out of the truck. "That guy jumped out of nowhere"

Ruby looked wide eyed before Naruto unwrapped his tail so the girl could go to her sister. The petite teen kneels in front of her older sister; "you okay Yang." Ruby 'eeks' being bear hugged by the buxom blond.

"This lady is crazy! I could have died out there Ruby."

"Oh hush, your alive aren't you," Kushina puts her hands on her hips glaring.

Naruto only sighs, that was everyone's first time reaction when driving with his mom. Naruto took a time to examine the new girl. She looked nothing like Ruby, but he supposed that could attributed to one child looking more like one parent. He also noticed she was drop dead gorgeous. Long blonde hair, vibrant lilac eyes, and killer figure. The kind of girl who would surely have a line of boys, and girls, chasing after her.

"Hey" Naruto said with a smile. "You must be Ruby's sister. I'm Naruto, thanks for putting up with my mom's craziness"

"I resent that" The crazy fox woman in question quipped.

As Yang finally got a hold of herself, her mind quickly suppressing the whole drive to the station, she took a good look at Kushina's son. he is kinda handsome, spiky blonde hair with two fox ears on top of his head and a long fluffy tail, lean but muscular build.

"Yeah, I'm Yang" She introduced herself. "Thanks for taking care of my sister"

Ruby pouted and crossed her arms. "I can take care of myself"

"She's right; Ruby really kicked some ass. Though still trying figure out why Torchwick was stealing from a small time shop."

Kushina lifts a brow; "Roman Torchwick... This is one hell of a night."

"Oh it gets better, but will tell you on the way home. We need to talk to Grey." Naruto speaks up seriously.

"Yang!" The small red reaper said with a gleeful smile, hopping in place. "I met professor Ozpin, and he accepted me into Beacon this year!"

Lilac eyes stared at silver in shock. "You WHAT?!" A smile which treated to split her face soon formed and lifted her sister from the ground. "Ohhhh I'm so proud of you!" Ruby made a choking sound as her sister strangled the air out of her.

"Ozpin, he was here?" Kushina lifts a brow.

Her son nods; "I'll fill you in going home."

Ruby huffs for air as her sister let her go. Naruto walks over to her while Yang gets her bike. He extends his hand; "Good to meet you Ruby."

She takes his hand smiling at him; "I hope you say yes."

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

It was a long drive back to Howling News; already late at night by the time they arrived. Everyone save the night guards hadn't gone to bed, all the shops and houses were closed and only and the only illumination were the makeshift street lamps. During the travel, Naruto had filled in his mother about the Beacon's headmaster apparently having done some kind of deal with the general of the Journeymen.

"What could Beacon want with us?" His mother wonders as they drove into the garage "I mean I get it, they're always up for getting talented people. But why us specifically" Naruto shrugged, both exiting the vehicle.

"Because you know how the wilds are" A voice suddenly said, much to their surprise. It was a wizened voice, deep and a bit guttural. They spotted a figure standing by the shadow casted by a shelf, away from the parking lot's light. Though they didn't need light, their eyes made up for that. "And because you two are Journeymen, people of the wilds"

He was a middle aged man who looked to be entering his winter years. A long thick grey mustache partly covered his upper lip, wrinkled skin tanned by many years under the sun, and bangs of middle length grey hair coming down from the cowboy hat on his head. He was dressed in a tanned long coat that had obviously seen many years of fighting. Grey jeans and dark cowboy boots with metallic spurs at the end. He wore a blue shirt with tassels around the chest and a flowery design under the collar. Under his coat was a pair of holsters which carried two large revolvers. His grey eyes showed more experience than most men could acquire in a lifetime.

This was Grey Wilhelm, general of the Journeymen, and one of the deadliest men alive. A reputation he could more than live up too.

Neither mother nor son say anything before the blond Uzumaki sighs; "oh yeah this is important enough if you came here."

"You have no idea," Grey says walking over. "Ozpin's offer was something to take notice."

Kushina slightly frowns; "You want us to quit the Journeymen and work for Beacon?"

"Oh hell no. Ozpin knows full well you two will still be working for me. If missions come up I will be calling you."

"So what the hell is he asking for," Naruto grunts leaning on his truck.

"For cooperation" The general stated solemnly.

"...You're gonna have to be more specific" The fox woman urges.

Grey sighs and rubs his neck. "You two know how things can get out here. It is sometimes in the interest of kingdoms to acquire more territories that mean pushing their influence in the wilds. Some people actually like to be under kingdom authority, some don't, preferring their independence instead. I get it; sometimes there are as many disadvantages as there are advantages by having your village or city be ruled by a kingdom. Like letting a dust mining company push out settlers off their lands because they have a kingdom backing them"

"But we all know things are complicated. One way or another thing is dangerous in the wildlands for its people. The raiders, the slavers, the private military bands, the warlords, the Grimm, it's been like that for a very, very long time. Ozpin understands the true way for things to work better for both a kingdom and the independent lands of the wilds is to cooperate. He wants people who come from here, who know how things are, and help form a couple of Hunter teams who would mostly stick with objectives in the wilds. Helping factions such as ours and the people. In the long run, that will help improve relations between Vale and the wilds, open more roads of trade, communication and favors"

Kushina slowly nodded in understanding. "And he wants us to help start that project of his"

He grunts as he takes a folding chair leaning from a pillar and sits, joining his hands. "Yeah. Look, I'm not going to force you to do this. But..." He sighs. "It's actually a pretty good plan; I'm actually relieved he's the one who came up with it. Someone with as much pull in Vale's council like him can actually get us a lot of support to improve things here for a lot of people"

He was right, they realized. The Journeymen were a private army, an affiliation of various villages who banded together in a pact of mutual protection, aid and trade. But their forces, the technology available to them, weren't up to a kingdom's standards, and they needed the extra edge to deal with some of the dangers of the wilds. The Journeymen were large when compared to other private forces, they even had a pair of flying frigates available to them, plenty of vehicles and weapons, and yet... there was always the chance the Grimm would conglomerate and form a Horde, swallowing everything on their path in an unrelenting tide of darkness.

It wasn't just the Grimm. The bandits, technologically lacking as they were, could still come up with rudimentary but effective machinery for assault. Crude but functional air support, slow but dangerous when properly armed. Dozens of vehicles armed with enough weaponry to arm a good sized fighting force for all kinds of warfare.

Things could get even worse if a warlord powerful and smart enough managed to lead them. A good and horrifying example was what happened to Macragge. Grey had told them that nearly three hundred years ago, Macragge had been a very prosperous and militant city-state of Mistral, back then the level of technology wasn't what it was used nowadays, but many agree it had been one of the most fortified cities to ever exist.

Then one day, many warlords had banded together, gathering barbarian tribes and plenty of forces under their banner, and stormed Macragge. The once proud city had been pillaged, raised to the ground, its people killed or taken as slaves.

Nowadays the technology and fighting force of the kingdoms would put in serious disadvantage to any warbands, even if they were to band and bring thousands of their numbers to bear... But the fear remained of that happening again one day, bandits could be very numerous and amass great power if they had a proper warlord leading them, especially if they managed to conquer large amounts of territory and add villages and independent cities to their fold.

That was a risk people of the wilds still faced to this day.

"So we're liaisons," Naruto crosses his arms.

"In a manner of speaking. So what do you say?"

Mother and son stared at each other for a while, silently communicating their opinion on the matter with just a few glances. Eventually Kushina smirked and shrugged. "What the hell?"

The young blonde couldn't help but chuckle. "Things are gonna get interesting dattebayo..."

 **XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX**

 **And that's a wrap.**

 **Ethereal-23 hits his head repeated on a table; Sorry for the delay people. You won't believe the number of times I've lost power and/or internet in my house cause of heavy rain and storms lately. Couldn't get to work with Arch properly with all that. Gods it was so frustrating I thought we weren't ever gonna finish this chapter…**

 **So, time to explain a few things. As you may have noticed, we choose to expand the setting on RWBY by focusing on a mentioned element of the universe that hasn't been properly expanded yet. The wilds, the territories outside the kingdoms.**

 **Remember people, for all its color and human (Not so much in the last volume… Pyrrha –begins to cry-) Remnant is a DEATH WORLD. It is a place filled with monsters that want nothing more than to rip people to shreds. And a lot of other stuff as if that wasn't enough. You can imagine all the problems that carry over.**

 **So we took inspirations from settings like Fallout and Mad Max to demonstrate the harshness on living outside the kingdoms. And in that we've added factions like private armies, mercenaries, bandits and such. You can see it in some of the groups we've made, like the Journeyman, kinda inspired in the Regulators and the Minutemen from Fallout, and the Brotherhood of Light, based from the Brotherhood of Steel from the same game, with touches and inspirations from the Space Marines from Warhammer (none of that grim dark stuff from the setting with that group though, promise)**

 **We would like to thank our good friend** _ **Godospartan the kitsune**_ **for helping us with the fight scenes, as we lacked the necessary skills to describe what we visualize and he has lots of good ideas. And yes, plenty Kushina's fight was inspired by Kill Bill, as a certain part of the fight demonstrates.**

 **Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed it.**

 **Music:**

 **The pretty Reckless - I'm going to hell**

 **Chevelle - The choking game**


	3. Beacon Blitz

Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto or RWBY

Co-Author & Beta: Etheral 23

Chapter 3: Beacon Blitz

Letting out a deep breath, the blond Uzumaki, wearing nearly the same clothes from yesterday, but with a new shirt, was nearly finished sealing away his clothes in his room. By the door Jack leaned against the frame with his arms crossed; "You really think this could pan out?"

"It's worth a shot. And the more help out here the better," Naruto spoke honestly.

The disk jockey snorted; "Be a nice change of pace."

"Okay, let's see" He made a quick mental list of things. "Clothes, toothbrush, Scroll, school tools. I don't really think I'm missing out anything" He mused before looking at Jack once more. "All that's left to do is say goodbye to everyone"

"Yeah, about that..." The DJ scratched his head. "I think Sara's a bit... mad at you"

"At me?" The blonde frowned. "For what?"

"For leaving"

Naruto looked dryly as his fox ears dipped; "I'm not going away forever." Still, he understood. To Sara, he was close to a big brother for her. She followed him everywhere around Howling News when she wasn't with her folks. And Naruto could honestly say he's come to care a great deal for her ever since she was born. "I'll go talk to her."

Jack gave him a thankful nod as he passed. He walked down one of the hallways of the building until reaching a certain door which was closed, on it was paper that had written the word 'Sara' with quality of someone who was beginning to learn how to write.

He tapped the door and called. "Hey Sara, it's me Naruto" He placed a furry ear to the door and waited.

"...Go away" Came the gloomy response.

Naruto sighed and rubbed his neck. "Don't be like that" There was no answer this time. "I'll give you some chocolate your mom hid away if you let me pass?" He prompted.

Within a few seconds, he heard the small girl say. "Come in..."

Opening the door, the blond was greeted with the sight of little Sara hiding under her blanket, her cat ears peeking out. Walking over, Naruto sat on the side of the bed; "Hey munchkin. I can't really talk to you while you're hiding under your bed sheet."

He saw her head shake side to side; "Will cry seeing Ruto's silly face. Why does Ruto have to go away?"

"I'm not going away forever. We have weekends and vacations. And will have some missions that will take me back out here too"

She let out a very cat-like groan. "I don't like it..."

"Hey, this is for the best. I go to Beacon, make friends with people there who can help with things here" He tried to play with logic so she would understand. "It's good for everyone"

"Not for me" She said with finality.

Ah, he forgot. Logic doesn't work with a child, they always think with their hearts.

"Hey come on" He softly ran a hand over her ears. She didn't shy away from it. "You want your mom and dad to have it easier here right?"

Hesitantly, the small Faunus nodded.

"And you want people to have better lives here too right?"

Once more, she nodded.

"Well, I'm gonna make sure of that. For that, I need to become a Huntsman" He said soothingly. "I want to do it so you can grow up and have a better life than what the wilds can give you"

Slowly she lifted the sheet, and he saw her eyes puffy from crying. Even to this day it always got to Naruto seeing a girl cry, regardless of age. His fox tail pulled the sheet back as he picked up the little Faunus girl to hug her. She wrapped her little arms around his neck as she buried her face in his neck. "I promise I'll always come back, and we'll talk when I got free time. Okay?"

He heard a muffled 'okay' and smiled. Standing back up, he found Sara still holding on to him and didn't look like she was going to let go. Standing by the door-frame, Jack and his wife Mary chuckled at the sight.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

The trip to Vale had been uneventful, after leaving their vehicle to a rent-able garage in the city, generously paid by the academy as Kushina was now going to be one of their teachers, the mother and son pair went to the terminal and took one of the many transports headed for Beacon.

They could see many people, both humans and Faunus, all dressed differently and carrying a great variety of weapons. From the windows they saw various other transports heading towards their same destination. As was per the agreement of the four kingdoms, some graduates from combat academies were sent to study for Hunstmanship in one of the academies in the other kingdoms.

It was a good way of fomenting relationships, as well as a form of cultural exchange. The world had placed a great value on culture and individual freedoms ever since the Great War.

The Academies were one of the results after the kingdoms had laid down their arms and come together to make peace. They were bastions in which knowledge was imparted to the young aspiring warriors, where they were taught all they needed to know to protect the world.

While her son decided to find a seat for the trip. Kushina, dressed in a casual T-shirt and jeans, shinobi sandals, and her coat, roamed about the large plane. Unlike her son, who called airships 'the deathtraps with wings', she felt like a little girl as she walked down the passenger area.

"Everyone's going to think you're the bee's knees" Her enhanced hearing picked up a familiar voice.

"I don't wanna be the bee's knees. I don't wanna be any kind of knees" Then came another one which, while her memory of it was brief, she still remembered it very well. "I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees"

Turning around, Kushina spotted the familiar sight of the two sisters. The painted quite the contrast with each other, one tall and colorful, while the other petite and wearing mostly dark colors.

"Hey girls!" Kushina called out excited and walked over them.

The two perked up and turned to see the fox woman. "Hey red!" Yang smiled excitedly. "You joined up with Beacon after all!"

"If we can get some extra hands out in the wilds, might as well give it a shot," the redhead shrugged. She noticed Ruby looking around; "my son went to go find a seat. He hates planes."

The petite girl smiled; "This will be so cool. I actually know some people besides my sister going to Beacon!" She blinked; "So what are you going to be doing at the academy?"

"No idea," both girls face faulted. "Find out what class I run when we get there. Should be fun dattebane."

 _'Dattebane?_ ' Both sisters lifted a brow. _'Is that even a word?_ '

The sound of the newscast's music caught their attention, making them watch towards the holographic screen. It was a report about the recent activities of a certain orange haired criminal.

"Roman Torchwick" Kushina clicked her tongue in annoyance. "We've had some trouble in the wilds involving him in the past, often making deals with gangs and bandits. What was he doing robbing a simple shop himself?" She mused to herself, knowing she wouldn't have any answers for now.

Then it went on about how a Faunus civil rights rally had been taken over by the White Fang, making Kushina sigh. She had heard about the group, how they used to be a peaceful equal rights movement, but over time they became a violent terrorist group.

Not many people knew it, but after long research with whatever sources they could trust, she and her son discovered they were in fact not Faunus. Blood tests didn't give the right matches when compared to those of the Faunus race. They were... something more.

Yet other people thought of them as Faunus, and had sometimes received less than fair treatment from humans. It was more common on larger and relatively peaceful settlements, but definitely more present in the great urban areas like Vale. She found it absolutely moronic to hate and fear someone on the simple basis of 'they're different'

Of course there were the few who thought they could try something, since in their idiotic male minds she was a weak little dirty animal girl. Snapping a few limbs and crushing their balls changed their tune quick.

Kushina snorted as she heard a statement from the White Fang the reporter spoke; "Yeah... Real equality by acting like assholes..."

The buxom blond nodded while Ruby played with the hem of her skirt. "Does any of that stuff ever get to you?" She asked quietly.

"HA! If someone has problem with little old me because of being different from them. They can kiss my sweet ass, right after I kick theirs," Kushina scoffed.

"Man" Yang breathed out. "Why couldn't there be more teachers like you back at Signal? I don't care if you end up teaching math, I just can't wait for your classes"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

 _'I hate planes'_ Naruto thought bashfully. _'I hate flying. I hate everything related with flying..._ '

The blonde move around uncomfortably, looking for a good place to just lay down and relax so he could make it to Beacon without losing his mind.

He passed by another blonde boy who looked he was about to be sick. And his mother said he exaggerated when it came to flying. He'd rather have his feet on the ground. The sweet, supporting, knowing-it-was-always-there ground... particularly by sticking his feet to it with chakra. Not this metal explodey thing...

Naruto really wasn't a fan of flying. Not after several experiences with various types of flying Grimm. As he walked, his nose twitched to a familiar scent. His cerulean soon found a familiar figure as a small smile graces his lips.

Sitting at her seat, Blake read quietly without paying attention to the anxious/excited people around her. While yes, joining Beacon was a great honor, all that mattered to her was becoming a huntress so she could start a new life and leave her old one behind.

"Good book eh?"

She stifled a small gasp, her eyes widening in fright, she clutched the book tightly against her chest while her head darted quickly to her right. There she saw a familiar whiskered blond with fox ears smiled at her.

"Y-You" She tried to still her fast-beating heart. "W-what are you doing here?" And, most importantly, how did he manage to sneak up on her?

"I'm joining Beacon this year, cool huh?" He gave her a, dare she say it, foxy grin. "Blake right?"

Once her blood pressure calmed a little, she just looked at him; "You're a Journeyman, why would you join the hunters?"

"Ozpin and my boss had a talk, trying to extend a hand between the wild lands and Kingdoms. So I and my mom are joining Beacon, me as a student. And my mom as a teacher"

Well, that was a curious thing. Blake wondered what kind of deal the headmaster of Beacon and the general of militia force of the wilds had come to. Particularly involving a pair of their members to join up with an academy as prestigious as Beacon.

But above all, Blake felt worried. Though the word 'worried' couldn't exactly convey just how much anxious she was, the feeling that she was in danger just by being next to him.

He had been there with Sally that time when Blake had sold the warlord the dust; she had said what she planned on using the money on. Thankfully he hadn't been there when Sally had revealed she was aware of Blake's past.

But... did Naruto know? He seemed close enough to Sally so that was a possibility. A very terrifying possibility. Blake found all her plans and hopes for a new start beginning to crumble down, her instincts screamed at her to run, for there was nothing else she could do.

The blonde apparently picked up on her extreme discomfort; he could feel her tensing, see the slight tremble on her body. "If you're scared about me telling anyone about what I saw" He starts, making Blake flinch. "Then don't worry about it"

The Faunus in disguise blinked and looked at him in confusion.

"I don't know why you sold that dust to Sally" He explains, shrugging and crossing his arms after a moment's pause. "Well, you said why, but I don't know the reasons behind it. Point is, I have no idea what you did, and I don't need to know. If you came here to start over, then go right ahead. You're in your liberty to do so" He looked at her with understanding in his eyes. "You don't have to be afraid of me telling anyone"

She did not realize she let out a quiet sigh of relief as her nerves finally settled down. Blake rested her head on the chair; "Thank you," she whispered.

"You're welcome," the blond smirked. "And if you need a hand, just come find me. Since we're both going to the same academy."

Blake gave a small nod before she noticed his shoulders were slightly tense the moment the airship experience some turbulence; "Are you okay?"

"...I hate planes..."

"Would you like something to read to calm your nerves?" It was the least she could do for him.

"Is it porn like you were reading?"

An angry scowl formed on her face. "It's not porn" She whispered bashfully, though irritation was also present in her voice.

"Hey, my old sensei used to read porn in public all day. Trust me; I know porn when I see it"

Blake simply blushed as she looked wide eyed at the blond fox man. "...Please tell me that was a joke."

"Nope... He read that thing all the time. Took it from him once and he chased me all over the village yelling out, 'Give me my precious!'" Naruto said dryly. "And don't get me started on the author, since I met him peeking at girls at the hot springs." He even was sure the late Third Hokage had a copy of that damn smut.

A thought occurred to him. Naruto's gaze shifts unfocused as he scratches his head. "You know now that I think about pretty much all my teachers and people I've looked up to were pervs in some way... That's sad"

"It is"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Beacon. One of the four great Huntsmen academies. Massive in scope when compared to other combat schools. From a distance the prestigious school looked like a citadel, a great castle, a mighty bulwark that stood against the wilds and the enemies of humanity.

Here people were trained to become defenders of the world.

The ships docked on the various platforms, having finally arrived at their destination.

Soon as the doors opened a young blond haired teen ran straight to a garbage can. Kushina, Yang, and Ruby all cringed as they walked passed the boy. "Some people just can't handle flying," Ruby weakly defended.

"That's being nice sis..."

Soon the trio stopped as they took in the sight of beacon itself. The fox woman whistled as she looked up and up at the tower. "Now that's a tall tower"

"You have to go meet the headmaster right mom?" Naruto's voice called from behind them. Turning, the three saw him walking towards them, they also noticed a dark haired girl standing behind, trying to remain unnoticed. "Oh hey girls" He gave them a smile and a wave.

Ruby smiled brightly as she waved excitedly while her sister gave a two finger salute. "What's up whiskers?" She paused and looked to Kushina; "You have to go?"

"Yep," the redhead said dryly as she walked away. "Ozpin said teachers meet in his office after his presentation... Look after each other."

Ruby tilted slightly left, with her hands behind her back, looking to the raven haired teen beside Naruto; "Hello."

"Hi" The amber eyed girl replied curtly.

"Oh this is Blake" Naruto introduced them. "I met her once before"

"Hey nice to meet you" Yang gave her a brilliant smile.

The brunette nods. "Same here"

Nobody said anything for a few seconds.

"Yeah..." The whiskered blonde said slowly. "From my short interactions with her, I can tell you she's really anti-social"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

As the four made their way towards the academy, Blake merely tuned out the two chattering blonds and the petite teen. Was she even the right age to be here? Still, Naruto in every other conversation tried getting the hiding Faunus to talk with them.

He really did seem like a nice guy, really he did. But a bit on the chatty type for Blake. The three older teens stopped as Ruby froze in place with stars in her eyes, she gasped loudly.

"That girl has a fire sword! And that guy over there has a sniper like me!" She was pretty much floating in the air with stars on her eyes.

If Blake decided to do a list of quirks these people possessed, she was sure she could add 'gun nut' to red hood wearing girl. Really, she had the feeling each of them had enough to warrant each having a separate list.

"Hey, calm down Rubes" Her elder sister said, trying to bring her back from weapons heaven. "They're just weapons"

"Just weapons?!" Ruby said scandalized. "They're part of us! They're like people but better!"

Blake wondered what she was doing walking with them still.

A golden fur fox tailed wrapped around Ruby's waist picking her up and brought her back to a dryly looking Naruto; "Weapons kick ass an all, but they don't quite come close to having actual people and friends around"

"You know your tail is stronger than it should be..." The short reaper mutters. "Well, I don't really know how to make new friends" She admits, to her embarrassment. "But I've got Yang, so it should be fine when I need to join a team"

The elder sister for her part looked conflicted. She'd love to be on Ruby's team, but more than anything she wanted for her sister to spread her wings, meet new people on her own. She was fifteen, soon to be sixteen; it was time she started making her own life without the need of other people guiding her all the time.

"Don't be like that Ruby" She said with affection. "Look, Naruto and Blake are your friends now right?"

The amber eyed girl eyed them cautiously. "Well I just met you so-"

"Sure!" Naruto smiled brightly, answering for both of them. Blake rolled her eyes.

"Oh!" An excited and dreamy look formed on her silver eyes. "We could all be on a team together!"

"Hey that'd be awesome!" The young fox man replied. He briefly looked at the brunette. "Doesn't that sound awesome Blake?"

"I don't really know-"

"She thinks it's awesome" Naruto said with finality.

Blake sighed.

Then Ruby and Naruto both noticed Yang was nowhere in sight, till the fox man saw the buxom blond running off with some people. "I think your sister just ditched us."

"Yang you meanie!" Ruby, not paying attention to where she was going, waved her arms wildly as she fell over several suit cases before either Naruto or Blake could catch her.

"What are you doing?!"

The outraged cry came from girl who if Naruto could describe her in just one word, he would say 'white'. Long white hair tied in curly ponytail to the side, with a hair decoration that appeared to be a small tiara. A white jacket that was red inside with a tinge of blue at the end of the sleeves. A white dress with an ample skirt that stopped before reaching her knees, also with a tinge of blue at the end. And long stockings along with heels. She put quite the contrast when next to Ruby.

Her icy blue eyes, with a scar across her left eye, stared angrily at the red and black themed girl who had fallen over several cases, one of them having been opened accidentally, revealing various jars containing Dust.

"Oh uh..." The small reaper looked very embarrassed. "Sorry..." She got up and to try and help with the mess.

"Be careful with that!" The white girl said angrily, snatching the case from her hands. "This is very high cut dust from the Schnee quarry! It's expensive and unstable if not handled properly!" She took one of the red jars and waved it angrily at Ruby, not realizing she was spilling its contents on the air.

The dust began tickling Ruby's nose.

"What do you have to say for yourself?!"

Ruby sneezed... and the dust flared up in flames.

Fortunately, the blast was minor and their auras stopped any damage... though the scowl on the white haired girl only became more enraged.

"This is exactly what I was talking about!"

The white haired girl blinked now seeing her bottle out of her hands, and saw a tall fox faunus tightening the cork on the bottle; "Actually if I tighten this up, princess, it'd help." he casually threw the bottle back and the girl who caught it.

"She's an heiress actually." Naruto and Ruby look over to Blake. "Weiss Schnee, heir to the Schnee dust company."

Now mentioning it, Naruto has heard some things about that company. But not enough to really care since he was usually busy fighting Grimm and warlords, he didn't have time to worry or care about a company like that. Regardless of how large it was or the reputation it had."The best supplier of Dust to the world" Blake continued.

"Finally" Weiss smiled in satisfaction. "Some recognition"

"The same company infamous for its controversial labor force and questionable business partners" The amber eyed girl said nonchalantly but with a bit of apathy in her voice.

That sent the heiress into a state of anger where she couldn't properly come up with a response. "What? I-I never- The-The nerve of you!" She snapped

The sight of the white girl being so rightfully offended after her previous haughty attitude was a welcome sight; it actually made Naruto and Ruby giggle at the expression on her face.

"Ugh, whatever" Without another word, the heiress turned around and left with her chin up. A pair of butlers picked up and organized the cases, soon following after her.

"I promise I'll make it up you!" Ruby called, but Weiss did not reply.

One of the butlers chuckle. "I assure you the young lady did not mean to act so haughty" They turned to see a middle aged man wearing typical butler's attire. Polished black shoes, dark pants, a black vest, a white shirt long puffy white sleeves and a tie. He also wore gloves and a monocle. His dark hair was tied in a ponytail with a few strands loose over his forehead. "I apologize in advance for any trouble she might give you. But I assure you the young lady is quite pleasant once you get to know her. I believe she just needs friends" The man was very nice, he smiled at them in a pleasant and polite fashion.

"Roger!" The heiress called angrily.

The smile did not waver from his lips. "Coming, miss" He nodded in goodbye to the youngsters and walked with his hands behind his back next to the other butlers who carried the luggage.

Naruto crossed his arms and titled his head. "Well that was... something"

"Thanks for backing me there Bl-" Ruby turned to thank the brunette... who was walking away from them.

"What, not even a 'see you later'?" Naruto called. He snorted when the dark themed girl waved without even looking at them.

Ruby sighed and let herself fall to the ground. "Welcome to Beacon..." She muttered dejectedly.

Naruto crouched beside her, rubbing the top of her head; "It's the first day. Plus I'm not going anywhere."

That made the petite hunter smile as a shadow approached; "You guys okay," both look up hearing a young man's voice. "Name's Jaune."

First thing they notice is the messy short blond hair, and blue eyes almost like Naruto's. He was wearing a metal chest plate with shoulder armor, over a black hoodie with orange trim. Blue jeans, and a double belted which held a sheathed sword. Naruto already liked him with the orange.

Ruby's gazed turned to her new friend; "Your long lost brother?"

"Oh yes, because all blue eyed blondes are related" Naruto said in driest tone possible. He leaned closer and whispered. "I know your sister's eyes are purple, but the similarities are just outstanding" He placed a finger to his lips. "Shhh, I'm still investigating but I think I'm unto to something"

"Okay, geez. You don't have to be so mean about it"

"Then next time don't ask dumb questions"

"...Okay fair enough"

Both got to their feet to shake Jaune's hand; "Hi, I'm Ruby. This is Naruto. Nice to meet ya." The petite hunter blinked for minute; "Aren't you the guy who threw up on the ship?"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Walking through a quad area, Naruto guessed; their newest friend Jaune was speaking the merits of motion sickness. Oh was he ever glad he did not have that. "So, where you guys come from?"

"I came from Signal." Ruby pointed to herself, and then to Naruto; "He's from the Journeyman in the wild lands."

"He's what now?" Both froze as they slowly looked at a blank staring Jaune.

"Uh... the most numerous and effective law-keeping militia in the wilds closest to Vale?" Naruto said slowly.

"Wait you said you're from the wilds?" Jaune said startled. "Aren't those places, like... really dangerous?"

"Yes, VERY" The whiskered blonde stressed.

"Oh wow" The swordsman shifted his gaze and scratched his head. "Can't imagine what it's like to live there"

Both Naruto and Ruby blinked as they looked at each other. He crouched down to her level leaning in; "Should we keep an eye on him?" he whispered.

"You think we should?"

"I don't know..." He replied. "Appearances can be deceiving after all" Sure, Jaune seemed... awkward. But that didn't mean he didn't have the combat skills to face what was out there.

Ruby nodded. "So" She tried to break the ice further by talking about a subject she knew very well. "I've got this" With a swift motion, Crescent Rose unfolded and buried its blade on the ground.

"Woah!" Jaune jumped back. "Is that a scythe?"

"It's also a customizable high-impact sniper rifle" Ruby said proudly.

"Eh?"

"It's also a gun" She cocked it.

"Oh that's cool. I-uh" He grabbed the sword from his sheath and pulled it out. It looked masterfully crafted, old, but outstandingly well preserved. "It's called Crocea Mors"

"Ohhhh" Ruby eyed it up with interest.

"I know it's nothing fancy like your scythe"

"Hey" Naruto butt in, tapping the handle on his katana. "Simple can be awesome too if you know how to use it"

Jaune chuckled. "Yeah I guess that's true. My sword's a hand-me-down even; my great-great-grandfather used it in the war"

The fox man drew his sword; "Made this with my own hands. Took me a month, after I learned how to blacksmith, but I think..." He noticed his katana was out of his hand.

Both guys heard a high pitch squeal as Ruby was inspecting Naruto's weapon. "This is so~ beautiful!" She said with excitement. "The craftsmanship is excellent. Is it a he or a she? Ohhh I don't care you're beautiful either way to me! Oh Jaune can I see you yours next? Is your sword a she or a he?"

Naruto and Jaune shared a bit of a disturbed look.

"She's... really into weapons," Naruto mentioned.

Jaune just nodded as Ruby soon looked around; "Hey... Where are we?"

"Uh, no idea. I was following you guys," Jaune admitted.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

The trio entered a large auditorium filled with lots of people. They spotted Yang amidst the crowd waving at them.

"Hey guys saved you a spot!"

"Oh we gotta go" Ruby said to Jaune in an apologetic tone. "We'll see you after the ceremony!" She said before quickly leaving.

"Later Jaune!" Naruto waved cheerfully at him, following after the small reaper.

The two soon stood next to Yang. "So how's your first day so far?" She asked with a smile.

Ruby looked at her crossly. "You mean since you ditched me and I exploded?"

"Yikes. Meltdown already?"

"No, literally" Naruto said dryly. "She sneezed on Dust and it went boom"

"Oh damn" Yang rubbed her head. "Well, we're no strangers to explosions back in our house. Especially when gun-dork here tinkered with her stuff"

Ruby decided to ignore that comment. "And there was this crabby girl, who kept yelling at me, and it made me feel bad, and I just wanted for her to stop yelling..."

Naruto's keen senses let him know that standing behind them was Weiss, peering from the corner of his eye; he noticed she was glaring at Ruby.

"You!"

The hooded girl jumped into her sister's arms. "Oh god it's happening again!"

"Damn sis" the buxom blond looked wide eyed at the glaring Weiss.

"You were lucky we did not get blown off the cliff!"

Naruto dryly lifted up a finger; "Actually if you kept a tightly lid on your junk that help."

"Excuse me?!" The blond fox man earned a hard glare from the heiress.

He'd seen eviler glares from _way_ scarier females in his life, hers didn't have an effect on him. "I'm just saying dattebayo."

Getting out of sister's arm, and adjusting her skirt, Ruby gave a very apologetic look; "Look I am really, really..." A pamphlet was shoved close to her face by Weiss. "What's this?"

It said 'Dust for dummies' and had the drawing of a very confused cartoonish figure staring at a dust crystal. "The Schnee Dust Company is not responsible for any injuries or damages sustained by operating a Schnee Dust product" She spoke quickly like a salesman.

In Ruby's head she just kept getting faster, her speech becoming more high-pitched with each second.

"Do you really want to make things up to me?" The heiress asked.

The reaper nodded eagerly. "Absolutely..!"

Weiss shoved the pamphlet into her hands. "Read this and don't ever speak to me again"

"Woah..." Naruto drawled. "You must have a lot of friends"

"Was her charmingly bitchy personality a dead giveaway whiskers," Yang muttered in a whisper. She cleared her throat, even if this girl was rude, it never hurt to try patching things up from a misunderstanding. "Look seems like you two just got on the wrong. Why not just make up and be friends."

The blond fox Uzumaki nodded; "There is nothing wrong with that."

Ruby nodded eagerly; "Exactly," She extended her hand to Weiss. "Hello Weiss, I'm Ruby. Let's be friends."

"Yeah..!" Weiss answered in an exaggerated cheerful voice with a fake smile. "And we can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys like tall, blonde and handsome here!" She jabbed a thumb at Naruto's direction.

The sarcasm was lost on Ruby, who looked at the heiress with a hopeful expression, "Really!"

Weiss's mouth became a thin line. "...No" Ruby's mood went down after that.

A thought occurred to Naruto; he smiled teasing at the heiress. "You think I'm handsome?"

That got a flustered look before Weiss sharply walked off. A chuckle came from the Uzumaki as he turned to the sisters; "Chicks dig the tail."

Ruby giggled while Yang just rolled her eyes. Hearing a throat clearing on a mic, they look ahead the podium, seeing Ozpin as well as several teachers, including Kushina who waved at her son. "I'll keep this brief."

"You have traveled today in the search of knowledge" The headmaster announced through the microphone. "To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you are finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you" He said gravelly. "And all I see is wasted energy"

Yang frowned at that. Naruto crossed his arms and whispered to her. "Real orator this guy..."

"In need of purpose, direction. You all assume knowledge will free you from this, but your time at this school will prove knowledge can carry you so far... It is up to you to take the first step" With that, the headmaster took his leave.

Goodwitch took his place. "You will gather at the ball room tonight" She explained. "Tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready, you're dismissed" She and the rest of the teachers soon followed after the headmaster.

The applicants all began talking among themselves, filling the auditorium with noise.

"He seemed kinda... off" Yang tried to say delicately.

Ruby nodded. "Like he wasn't really there" He seemed different from the night she met him.

"I've heard pep talks before going into a dangerous mission" Naruto said. "Most of them were, 'we're in deep shit, we're probably gonna die. Oh well, let's have some fun'" A certain company captain of the Journeymen and his men had a peculiar sense of humor. "And still they were more inspirational than this"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

"I am sorry my words did not match your expectations miss Uzumaki" The headmaster said with humor in his voice and traces of a smile on his lips as he and the rest of the teachers walked down the hallway.

"Just saying, a few inspirational words would have been better" The redheaded woman says, crossing her arms behind her back.

"In my experience I've found that being honest suits my method of teaching better" Ozpin replies. "It may not be what they were expecting, but I hope they one day remember my words"

"I guess" Kushina mused. "So... you still haven't told me what I'd be teaching those kids exactly"

Goodwitch spoke up; "We have a spot open for hand to hand combat training. The previous instructor was on a mission but was killed by Grimm"

"We would like you to help polish and perhaps expand their skills in that field," Ozpin took back over. "And if you have anything else that could benefit the students."

Kushina grinned; "You're lucky, next to the sword, hand to hand combat is a specialty of mine."

Ozpin nodded. "Then I believe we leave your students in your capable and responsible hands"

Kushina couldn't help it, she laughed. "Ahahahaha! Oh man, I can't remember the last time anybody said I was 'responsible!"

Glynda gives the fox woman a long look before turning to the headmaster. "This may have been a mistake"

"There are no bad teachers Glynda" The headmaster stated. "Only unfocused students"

"That... isn't how the saying goes"

"Too late" Kushina smirked. "Already accepted the job"

Glynda could already feel the future headaches this woman would bring her.

XxX ~ XxX ~ XxX

Night came, and the students had gathered in the ball room, forming various rows of sleeping bags as they all prepared to the important day tomorrow. Naruto had placed his sword and tools on his locker earlier, washed his teeth and changed on the bathroom. He wore a simple pair of long sweats and sandals as his sleepwear.

As he folded his clothes, he noticed Jaune walking about... wearing a single piece onesie. "Uh... Comfy Jaune?"

"Yep" Was the sole reply.

Alright, he wasn't gonna judge. ' _Crap_ ' He just remembered he forgot his sleeping cap back in howling news... Oh to hell with it, if he knew one thing, it was that Sara would be wearing it till he got back. He chuckled since at the memory of her one time she tried to put it on and it engulfed her head. Seeing how Jaune did not wait for him, Naruto walked back to the ballroom and saw everyone getting ready for bed.

"It's like a BIIG Slumber party!" His sharp ears heard Yang as he went that way.

"I don't think dad would approve of all the boys though." Ruby said wearing a sleeveless black shirt and sweats as she wrote something on paper.

"I know I do..." Yang purred as her gaze lingered over the various shirtless athletically fit boys. She let out an _'Ewww'_ when she saw Jaune in his onesie, but smirked once more when she saw Naruto. She whistled, "Damn..." Toned arms, broad back, strong chest and an eight-pack. "Now that's the whole package" She muttered to herself.

"Package what?" Ruby wondered, having barely caught what her sister said.

"Nothing you need to worry about now lil' sis"

 _'Okay'_ Naruto thought to himself. _'Lots of girls in their sleepwear. Remember, don't be like Ero-sennin'_ He chanted his own personal mantra.

Although seeing Yang in that orange muscle shirt and those tight sport shorts did not stop his imagination. That damn shirt had to be at least one size too small. And damn Ero-Sennin to hell as Naruto already knew his fellow blond's measurements just by looking at her.

Noticing Naruto's cerulean eyes lingered a little too long as he walked over, Yang only winked at him. ' _Like what you see whiskers?_ ' as if her eyes spoke to him

From her position on the ground he could tell she was teasing him. _'Well two can play at that game'_ He stretched as one often does at night before going to bed, though he made sure Yang would see his abs flexing as he did so.

 _'Ohhh not fair whiskers'_ the long haired blonde thought. _'Not when my little sister and a bunch of other people are right here'_

With a satisfied smirk, Naruto sat down on his bag cross legged beside the sisters. Not really noticing majority of the females in the room with eyes lingering his way. The Uzumaki chuckled at Yang's light pout; "Enjoying the evening ladies?" His fox tail moving side to side.

Ruby looked up with a brief smile; "Hey Naruto." and she went right back to writing.

"So..." Trying to get her mind off the blonde next to her, and his abs, Yang's eyes settle on what Ruby was doing. "What's that?"

"A letter to the gang back at Signal" Ruby explained. "I promised to tell them all about Beacon and how things are going"

Yang found her sister trying to remain in contact with her friends on their old school utterly adorable. "Ohhhh that's so cuuuuute!" She got a pillow to her face for her troubles.

"Shut up" Ruby grumbled. "I didn't get to take my friends with me; it's weird barely knowing anyone here"

"Well you've got me" Naruto offered. "Plus Jaune, he's nice. And Blake too. That's three friends you have"

The small reaper sighed and turned on her back. "I'm not sure about Blake, plus I think Weiss qualifies as a negative friend, so that makes it back to one..."

"Oh please" Yang smiled. "There's no such thing as a negative friend, you just made an enemy!" She got a corgi shaped pillow to the face for that.

"Serves you right" Naruto snorted. He smiled comfortingly at Ruby. "Come on, you've got friends, and you'll make a lot more as time goes on"

"I guess..." Ruby didn't sound so convinced.

A flicker of light and the sound of a match being lit close to them caught their attention. Shifting their gazes, they saw Blake sitting by a wall in the corner next to a candlestick which provided her with enough light to read the book in her hands.

"Oh hey there's Blake" Naruto wondered where she had run off to earlier today.

He was about to call the raven haired girl until he felt something on his tail. Shifting it to his right, he and the sisters saw a girl around Naruto and Yang's age hugging the tail and hanging off of it, with short orange hair and a large smile on her face. Offhand Naruto could admit she was cute as hell in that shirt and shorts she wore.

But that smile reminded him of someone _VERY_ specific. "Fluffy~" The girl cooed.

"Nora" A soft spoken black haired boy with pink eyes said patiently, a brand of his locks was dyed pink like his eyes. He wore a robe that reminded him of a yukata but had a few details that made it different. "What did we say about personal space?"

"But Reeeeen!" The orange haired girl, now identified as Nora, whined to the boy. "It's soooo fluffy~!"

The young fox man and the sisters blinked at the scene.

"Told you girls dig the tail" Naruto reminded Yang.

That made Ruby snort as she covered her mouth giggling. Yang only snorted as she shook her head, they see the young man named Ren pull the Nora girl off Naruto's tail, and he rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry about that, Nora can get excited."

Naruto just shrugged; "It's all good." He extended his hand which Ren took gave a hearty shake. "Naruto."

"..R..." Before the young man could finish, he jumped back as Nora now sat in front of Naruto looking up at him with a smile; "That's Ren, I'm Nora! Pancakes are the most awesome food ever!"

"That..." Naruto owlishly blinked. "Was random" Ruby and Yang slowly nodded. "But I'm gonna have to disagree, ramen's better 'ttebayo"

The cheerful expression on the bubbly girl shifted into a dark scowl so quickly it was frightening. She pointed a finger at him, dangerously close to his nose. "You just made an enemy"

"Uh..." Naruto looked at Ren, who helplessly shrugged.

"Unless you let me pet your tail I won't forgive you"

More than a bit weirded out, Naruto stammered, "S-Sure go ahead" Seeing as he didn't want to remain on this girl's bad side... she was acted too much like Abby for his liking. And gods help them all if she shared some of the crazy mechanist's tendencies.

"Yay!" Nora cheered. She touched the tip of his nose. "Boop!"

"Excuse me," Weiss walked over, wearing a night gown, with hair down. She looked sharply at Naruto who looked up at her. "Could you please put a shirt on, where is your shame?"

"Uh... I don't like wearing shirts to bed dattebayo..."

"What's wrong princess?" Yang smirked teasingly. "Aren't you enjoying the view?"

"W-Wha-? No!" The heiress exclaimed flustered. "I'm not some lewd lurker unlike some other people I might add!"

"Ain't see you telling other boys to put on a shirt"

Weiss said nothing as she looked away blushing. Naruto only smirked till he noticed Yang was beside him, rubbing her dainty hand on his chest and abs. "Can I help you?" He blushed.

"Damn your solid whiskers! How much do you bench?"

 _'Bet you would complain if I rubbed your chest... DAMN YOU ERO-SENNIN!'_

"Ugh, you two are so inappropriate..." The heiress grumbled.

"Hey don't hate" Yang said. "You wanna feel, just ask, whiskers don't mind. You don't right? He doesn't" She answered before Naruto could.

Weiss made a disgusted noise.

"Okay I get it, you don't go for guys" The lilac eyed blonde smirked. "Maybe you prefer mine" She ran a finger over her stomach to show that while possessing a curvaceous figure there was tone in her own body from years of training.

Weiss made a face so hilarious many of them swore they'd never forget it; she blushed and looked like she swallowed a bug. Ruby and Nora covered their mouths as so they wouldn't burst laughing.

"No!" The heiress snapped. "You... lewd... blonde... brute!"

"Feeling a lot of denial coming from you~"

"Urgh!" They were really getting on her nerves. But she wouldn't walk away, that'd imply she was defeated by their foolish games, and Weiss Schnee would never acknowledge defeat. So instead hoped for something or someone to intervene and get her out of this ridiculous situation.

"Perhaps you'd rather stare into something more... awesome, Snow Angel?" A male voice said.

Not THAT. Anything but THAT.

Turning to her right dryly, Weiss saw Jaune standing beside her with his attempt of a charming smile. This looked utterly ridiculous with him being in an onesie pajamas. "Jaune... Jaune Arc," he said in failed sexy tone.

Neither Naruto nor Yang could stop themselves as they barked out laughing at Weiss's expression of horror.

"Um... Excuse me please?" a gentle feminine voice broke everyone's attention.

The person was a beautiful redheaded young woman with bright green eyes, her scarlet hair cascaded down her back, and she wore an equally red nightgown.

"Oh hey" Naruto immediately recognized her from the live Mistral tournaments he and a few friends had watched on TV before. "You're Pyrrha Nikos"

"Hello" She smiled and waved.

"Oh it's such an honor to meet you" They stared at Weiss whose demeanor seemed to have shifted completely. "I'm Weiss Schnee, I've heard so much about you"

"Nice to meet you" Pyrrha politely replied.

"Hello there sweetness" Jaune tried his 'charm' on her too. Pyrrha shyly smiled at the praise.

"Gotta give him credit" Naruto whispered to Yang. "He doesn't give up"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "You can't just approach someone like her like that. Don't you know who she is?"

Ruby lifted her finger and was about to answer for him until Yang waved for her to remain silent. "Shh, I wanna see this"

"Well yeah" Jaune nodded as if that were obvious. "Naruto just said her name was Pyrrha Nikos"

"Exactly" Weiss crossed her arms.

"And..?" The Arc scratched his head.

"Oh for..." The heiress face palmed. "She graduated top of her class at Sanctum"

"Never heard of it"

Weiss frowned. "She won the Mistral Regional Tournament four years in a row, a new record"

"The what now?"

Now Weiss lost it. "She's on every box of Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow cereal!"

Jaune gasped in excitement. "That's you?! The only people they put in there are athletes and cartoon characters!"

"Y-Yes, it was a great honor" Pyrrha said humbly. "Sadly, the cereal isn't too good for you..."

Naruto held his midsection as he felt his stomach doing a twirl just from the memories of what happened after eating that damn thing for a month. "Tell me about it..."

"So, for all the things I've just said, you should learn to speak with someone of her status" Weiss said pointedly.

"O-Oh, yeah" Jaune hung his head bashfully.

"Actually" Pyrrha smiled. "I don't mind being informal with people" She turned to the heiress. "There is something I want to ask of you if it's not too much trouble"

Weiss's eyes lit up. "Oh?" She forced down the surge of pride and hope. Though internally, she was already planning her future. _'Yes! Pyrrha Nikos will ask me to be her partner! We shall have the best grades and the best skills! The entire world will know us as the strongest pair; there is nothing we won't be able to do! No height will be beyond our reach_!'

"Could you please move a bit? You're standing on my sleeping bag"

Once more two blonds in burst into laughter as the blushing heiress walked off Pyrrha's sleeping bag with a quiet 'I'm sorry'.

As Yang and Naruto finally calmed down, they both notice Blake still reading in the corner. Both soon look at each other with the same smirk.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

 _'-You do not know... You do not know the other me. You have no idea what lies beneath this- He waves a hand over his face and chest. -Inside... there is a creature. A monster. Struggling to get out-'_ Blake read the lines, passionately imagining the characters in her mind. _'-I know what is underneath- Megumi said without a shadow of doubt -A good man... The man I-'_

"Heya Blake!" The exuberantly cheerful voice of Yang said.

Blake bit back a growl. Of all the times she could be interrupted it was when she was getting to the good part. She raised her eyes to see Naruto, Ruby, and Yang and, surprisingly, the Schnee heiress... along with four other people she didn't know...

"Hello..?" The Faunus in disguise said slowly.

Everyone soon dropped their sleeping bags around her, much to Blake's annoyance as Naruto sat beside her; "You looked lonely by yourself."

"So _we_ all thought, let's get the emo out of Blakie," Yang chirped.

"I'm not-"

"Dark hair, dark clothes" Ruby listed. "The anti-social attitude, reading a book all by yourself in a corner with a candle. You're not really proving anything by denying it"

Blake glared at Ruby, darkly.

The small reaper slowly turned to sister. "Okay. Now I know I made an enemy with Blake"

"Why did I let you all drag me along with your shenanigans..?" The heiress grumbles.

Nora excitedly said. "Because sleepovers with your friends are fun!"

"I don't even know your name!"

"This is Nora. That is Ren," Naruto's fox tail pointed to both. "And Blake, this is Jaune and that is Pyrrha –Hello!– Now we all know each other." His eye twitched seeing the orange haired teen hugging his tail again, while not bothered that she was hanging in the air.

Ren looked to the fox Uzumaki; "That is a very strong tail."

Weiss drawled. "That shouldn't even possible"

"Oh I guess you know how tails work then?" Naruto shot back.

"Enough to know they can't do THAT!"

While Blake would have objected to the presence of a Schnee, she had to admit seeing her losing her cool so often around them was very hilarious and satisfying. So she allowed herself to stay, if only to see how many times they could drive the heiress nuts.

"So guys" Yang started with a bright smile. "Ready for tomorrows' test?"

"You know it sis!" Ruby smirked.

"Hell yeah" Naruto nodded. "...So long it's not a written test. Nobody told me I had to study..."

"Oh man!" Jaune looked panicked for a moment there. "Me neither!"

Pyrrha giggled. "I'm sure it's not like that"

Both blondes sighed in relief.

Blake eyed them all for a moment. "You're being awfully relaxed about this"

"I'd say I'm excited" Ruby said. "It's a chance to become Hunters, kill monsters, and be heroes"

"Being a Hunter is more complicated than that, the world is a very dangerous place" Blake informed.

"Well that's why we're here" The silver eyes girl smiled. "To make it better" She got a nod from Pyrrha and her sister, indicating they thought the same.

The Faunus in disguise couldn't help but feel a tinge of pity for her child-like attitude. "That is a very simplistic and a bit naive way of looking at things. Like I said, things are very complicated"

"Well on my part, I'd say we could use a bit more simple way of looking at things" Naruto said, leaning back with his hands supporting him. "People in the wilds could benefit a lot from an attitude like that"

Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha look at him wide eyed; "You're from the wild lands?" The amazon asked in surprise.

"I'm a Journeyman actually. So is my mom, you saw that redheaded fox woman." The three nodded; "That was her. Kushina Uzumaki, also a Journeyman."

"Wow, I've heard about the Journeymen back in Mistral" Pyrrha said impressed. "They're known to be one of the most effective law-keeping independent organizations in the wilds closer to Vale"

"We do what we can with what we've got"

Ruby frowned, a thought of occurring to her. "Wait, wait, and wait" She waved her arms. "If you're a Journeyman... does that mean you know Grey Wilhelm?"

"Kinda hard not to..." The blonde said slowly. "Seeing as I work for him"

Her silver eyes go wide. "Oh my gosh" She breathed out. "Oh my gosh, Yang" She grabs her sister by the shoulder and proceeded to shake her. "Yang, oh my gosh. He knows Grey Wilhelm, he KNOWS GREY WILHELM!"

"I-I-I-I h-h-heard h-h-him!" Yang says while being shaken by her little sister.

"Who?" Jaune tilted his head.

"Onlythegreatestwarriorofallthewildlandsever!" Ruby said so fast everyone just looked wide eyed at her while blinking.

Yang sighed; "My sister really idolizes Grey since she first heard of him. Hell even I respect him for all the work he's done in the Wilds. The stories you heard about that guy…"

"He really does not care for praises or anything. He is one hell of guy," Naruto smirked. "His son and daughter are awesome too. Katherine and Johnathan, I work with John most of the time."

"The man who leads the Journeymen militia" Blake mused. Though private army was starting to be more applicable. The Journeymen had been growing in number and strength for years. Rumor had it they even had an air frigate at their disposal, though one could attribute that at privateers hired by them that were the most logical explanation she could come up with. As it was difficult to imagine a group of the wilds getting their hands on something like that. But she knew better not to underestimate what some people with the right help were capable of.

"They call him the strongest man alive..." The small reaper said in awe. "Is it true he took on fifty Deathstalkers by himself?"

"Grey says it was more like twenty" Naruto replies while shrugging. "But I think he just didn't want to brag"

They noticed Pyrrha in thought; "I heard rumors of two fox Faunus that have been turning the Wilds crazy... Or crazier... El Zorro Dorado & La Muerte Roja..."

Naruto gave a smug grin; "I am the Golden Fox and my mom is the Red Death"

"Your mom is the Red Death?!" Ruby asked excitedly. "Ohhhh I met the Red Death and I didn't even know!"

"Ohhh right" Yang scratched the back of her head. "I forget to mention it..."

"How could you forget?!" Ruby angrily accused her sister.

Probably because she was doing her hardest to forget the crazy yet kind woman had killed a man right in front of her. He may have been a vicious warlord from the wilds but it was still a horrible experience. She made sure not to tell Ruby about it, so Yang kept it to herself; she hadn't even told their father about what she saw. Shaking her head, Yang once more pushed those thoughts away.

"Golden Fox huh?" The Faunus in disguise raised an eyebrow at him. "That explains while you were there at Madam Sally's, she's the one warlord you frequent, the only one who stays on the Journeyman's good graces and keeps other gangs in line"

"I'd like it more on the lines of being her friend. Yeah she helps us out. But Sally always gone by the beat of her own drum." Naruto smiled.

"You frequent a dangerous individual like a warlord?" Weiss asked incredulously.

"Hey, believe it or not that warlord keeps things in order. Most violent gangs are terrified on getting on her wrong side, plus she can get her men to clear up Grimm" He noticed Ruby raise her hand like in class; "Yes Ruby Rose."

"Is it true you fought against a gang leader called Mad Mona?"

The blond groaned loudly; "Oh she was mad alright. She was this crazy bitch who laced her entire compound with high grade explosives. And after I beat her, she blew the entire base, which was a former military/naval, to hell. With herself, me, and all of her own men still inside the whole damn place."

"Yikes…" Jaune gulped. "H-How did you get out that alive?"

"Had to jump in the water, which OF COURSE" He groaned again. "Just HAD to be filled with water type Grimm that were attracted by all the fighting"

"Yikes, are the wilds really filled with so many crazy people?" Yang wondered. They had grown in a place where Grimm could sometimes frequent and yet she thought things more or less were normal.

"Well I wouldn't call everyone who lives there crazy. There are a lot of good people there" A small smile came to him as he thought of the people of Howling News Radio, Stroheim Village, and that old coot in the ruins. As well as several other places, where folks just try to live day by day, all good, honest people. "I wouldn't want to live anywhere else save out there."

Everyone looked at the blond fox man. "Surrounded by the constant threat of danger and a heavy responsibility?" Weiss asked incredulously.

"People manage, and can build a good thing there when given the right opportunity" Naruto simply said. "Besides, I like it. I can help other people there"

Pyrrha nodded in approval; "A very noble gesture."

XxX ~ next morning ~ XxX

Everyone continued to sleep gently as the morning rays shined down through the windows, illuminating the ball room in a soft light.

Ruby let out a soft snore. "Mhm, it was Yang... she ate the cookies..." She continued snoring.

Yang rolled around and let out a loud snore. "No I didn't..."

A certain redheaded foxy woman stared at them with a smile on her face. "Aww, a part of me wants to let them sleep and enjoy this moments they have left before their life as Hunters start..." She hefted a large mallet over her shoulder. "Another part of me however thinks this will be too much fun to pass up"

Beside her, a short haired brunette woman with wolf ears on the top of her head, wearing military camouflage pants, black boots, and a muscle shirt, looked at the new teacher blankly with her brown eyes.

The woman lifted a brow and wondered how the hell had Kushina gotten a gong that freaking huge into the Academy, but mentally shrugged it off. It was time to wake these maggots up. "Hit it," the woman said in a husky tone.

Kushina gave a slightly deranged vulpine smile as she soon swung the mallet.

The metallic echo of the gong vibrated across the entire ball room, its loud horrible sound immediately waking up with a start. The room was soon filled with startled and confused cries of the young applicants. The doziness vanished from them in an instant. Except for Nora, who kept snoring like nothing happened.

"What the-?!"

"Ahhhh!"

"We under attack?!"

"Attention" The wolf faunus called with an authoritative tone, when she saw the greenhorns not responding appropriately to her she felt her temper rising. "I said ATTENTION YOU WORTHLESS PIECES OF FILTH!"

The sheer anger and command in her voice, made them all shut up, as well as waking Nora up. "My pancakes..." They stared at the wolf Faunus who looked so furious and fit she could wrestle down an Ursa.

"You've got ten minutes to clear the area and prepare for your test! Move it, move it, and move it!"

Everyone soon gathered their things and shuffled out of the ballroom as Naruto just glared over to his mother; "Good Morning Sochi~!"

The blond Uzumaki rolled his eyes as he left the room with the others. Oh he will get his mother back for that, come hell or high water!

A giggle came from the redhead as she looked to the wolf Faunus woman; "Good way to bring in the morning, eh, Ms. Michelle Schwarzerwolf?"

Michelle looked at Kushina for a moment; "I like you... Call me Michelle..."

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

As everyone got a shower, new clothes to wear, and breakfast. Opening his locker, Naruto just looked over at Ren while Nora chattered his ear off. That man must have the patience of Buddha or he just so in love with that girl he is used to it.

"Damn whiskers, ready for war?" Naruto turned his head to see Yang with Ruby both looking at him wide eyed.

Wearing a black sleeveless shirt with a face mask like Kakashi's, he had his grey Anbu vest over it. Black gloves that went up to his forearms which Anbu arm guards, black pants with kunai holster on his thigh, Anbu shin guards, and sandals. To the final touch were his coat, and his Konoha Hite-ate.

Taking out his katana, he pulls down his face mask; "I think I look bad ass thank you."

"Well, I know all I need are these two to BE bad ass" Yang grinned as lifted her hands, giving a kiss to each of her yellow bracelets which no doubt were her weapons. "Ember Celica is pure awesomeness, just like me"

"And you say I'm the weapon dork" Ruby dryly stated.

"I don't go around calling my weapon, 'My baby'"

Naruto only snorted as the sisters bickered, his cerulean gazed over to Blake who walked by and least gave a nod in his direction. Looking further he lightly blushed, _'Damn Pyrrha looks good in that armor_.'

Her hair was done in a tall long ponytail and a bronze circlet neck piece. She wore a mix of leather and bronze plates, along with a bronze garget around her neck, which really showed off her feminine yet highly fit body. As well as revealing a generous portion of her cleavage.

Naruto rolled his eyes when he saw Weiss trying to win Pyrrha over with empty nice words. "So, I was thinking the two of us could be in the same team Pyrrha"

"That... would be grand" The red haired girl cleared wasn't enthused at all by the idea, but the heiress did not notice.

"Really? I think so too"

"You know what would be grand?" Jaune suddenly got between the two, trying to put on his 'charm'. "Being on my team, I think I can make room for you Snow Angel"

Naruto only face palmed as both his fox ears hanged low. Ruby only giggled while Yang sweatdropped; "I have heard corny pick-up lines to dirty pick-up lines, but I swear that boy needs help."

"In his lines or taste in women?"

"Both," the sisters comment.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

As they exited the academy, a teacher gave them all instructions to meet Professor Ozpin and Goodwitch near the cliffs. They were assigned to stand by various metal plates oddly placed at the edge of the cliff. Naruto along with a few others quickly figured out what their purpose was. _'This is gonna be fun'_ the blonde thought with a smirk.

"For years you have trained to become warriors and today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest" The headmaster said, waving with coffee cup in his hand at the forest beneath the cliff.

"Now" Goodwitch took over, carrying an open scroll on her arm. "I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Allow us to put an end to your confusion; you will be assigned teammates... today"

"What?" Naruto picked up the soft groan coming from Ruby.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here in Beacon. So it's in your best interests to be paired with someone you can work well" Ozpin said.

Ruby let out a soft whine of worry at that.

"That being said" The headmaster continued. "The first person you make eye contact with will be your partner for the next four years"

"What?!" Ruby could not believe it.

Yang suppressed a groan. She hoped the first person she saw would not be the Ice Queen, perhaps it would be better to look for Ruby and made sure she at least had a partner she could work with. Failing to that, she hoped maybe someone nice like Naruto or another of the people they've met would be paired up with her. She wouldn't let just anyone be paired up with her little sister but she had little choice here.

Naruto wondered about the whole 'partner by eye contact' thing. It sounded like a poor method to him. Back in Konoha teams were assigned to form better compatibility based on the graduates' skills and potential. His eyes widened when it hit him, in Beacon their way to assign partners, was, in a way, emulating the situation back in the wilds.

In the wilds you couldn't be picky, the world was filled with Grimm and various others threats. You had to work with whoever was available to make sure other people could be safe. And if you didn't like them, well tough luck, you have to do it anyway. Your ability to cooperate with other people, personal issues and compatibility aside, could mean the difference between life and death out there.

"After you've partnered up" Ozpin continued. "Make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy anything in your path... or you will die" He said gravely, trying to make them understand what kind of situation they were in.

Jaune nervously laughed and gulped.

"You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation, but our instructor will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path, containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff, we will guard that item as well as your standing and grade you appropriately... Are there any questions?"

Jaune lifted his hand. "Uh, yeah sir-"

"Good!" Ozpin ignored him. "Now, take your positions"

With his face mask up, Naruto crouched slightly as he gazed steely at the forest below; _'Off to the race, lets the games begin!'_

Soon, students one by one went flying as the metal plates shot them into the sky like a catapult. Even in the air, the Uzumaki could still heard Jaune trying to speak to Ozpin until letting out a very unmanly shriek as he was sent into the air.

As the last student was launched the headmaster sipped his coffee; _'This test will most likely be easy for you Mr. Uzumaki. Given your life as a Journeyman, but it is that experience I hope you share with those you team with. Good luck to all of you.'_

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

"Birdie no!"

Naruto chuckled as he heard Ruby in the distance. But his eyes remained focused as he flew and soon saw the largest tree of the forest. Extending his right hand, a chain phased through his palm and shot towards a large branch. It soon wrapped around, and allowed the blond Uzumaki swing safety to the ground as the chain detached and re-entered his hand.

Naruto looked dryly at his palm; "And that is all I can do with our clan's chakra chains."

Not to say it was not a lack of trying on Kushina's end while training him. But sadly her son could never produce any more chains save only a few from his hands.

"Alrighty then" He dusted off his hands and looked around. "Better look for a partner. Maybe Ruby, a friendly face as her partner will do her good. If not then her sister, Yang seems fun. Anyone but the Ice Queen really" He shook his head. "Remember Naruto don't be picky. What does that old man say? 'The chips fall where they may' or something" With a shrug, he began trekking through forest. "Well, at least somebody so I can't stop talking to myself"

He kept his senses sharp as he run, careful to pick up any Grimm that might be nearby. He kept sniffing, trying to catch any scent. He was assaulted by the smell of trees, flowers and other wild fruits.

His ears twitched when he heard an explosion, along with Yang's voice cheering high up in the air, quickly growing more and more distant, she was moving very fast.

Quickly taking to the trees, Naruto dashed in Yang's direction. In the back of his mind he could help but enjoy jumping through a forest like he used to back in old world. He remained focused despite the smile under his mask.

Seeing a yellow blur descend into the forest, he jumped down to the ground. Suddenly, Blake came out from a bush as Yang just landed; "Nailed it!" The three soon stopped as they looked at each other.

Yang looked at Blake, Blake looked at Naruto, and Naruto looked at Yang. Their gazes switched from one another for a minute.

"Soooo..." Yang drawled and smacked her lips. "Who's paired with who?"

"No idea, but I ain't leaving without a partner" Naruto shrugged.

"Me neither" Blake informed, crossing her arms. These people were... likeable enough she supposed. She'd rather be paired up with one of them rather than someone who could turn out to be a bigot.

Yang placed her hands on her hips. "Well, one of us will have to call it quits. Not it!"

"Not it!" Naruto soon followed.

The Faunus in disguise rolled her eyes. "Real mature. You can't just call 'not it' with this"

"You're just mad because you don't have partner now"

"Excuse me?" Blake glared over.

Naruto lifted his hand; "How about rock paper scissors?"

Both ladies look at him dryly till sharply turning as they heard an animalistic growl in the bushes. Soon a large Ursa walked out, soon rose to its hind feet to let out a roar.

It looked down at the lesser prey, raising its claws to maul them down.

The Ursa was sent flying until it collided with a tree, toppling down the trunk.

Yang cocked her arm, her gauntlet popping out a shell. "We're trying to decide something here!"

Blake looked around as more and more dark creatures began to emerge from the trees. "We've got company"

Looking around, Naruto drew his sword; "Trifecta?"

The girls looked at him, then to each other and nodded; "Trifecta!"

Yang grinned as she dashed forward towards a charging Ursa, she jumped back just in time when the monstrous bear snapped its jaws at her. She dived forward once more, punching a strong left hook against the Grimm's head, followed by a right hook, she repeated the cycle at least four times. The bony mask cracked under the pressure of her blows.

Finally, she punched the underside of its jaw with a powerful uppercut, unleashing a shot of her shotgun shells. The Grimm was sent flying through the air with great force, and pummeled down dead as its head had shattered, already its body began to decompose.

The other blond of the group somersaults over a charging Ursa, throw several kunai with lightning speed that pierce its head. Naruto landed as the Grimm fell dead; he soon dashed forward seeing one of the monstrous bears was wide open.

The Ursa turned its head only for it to be sliced off by the Uzumaki's sword, covered in blue flames. Yang whistles; "Nice whiskers! That your semblance?"

 _'Well you could call it that_ ,' Naruto mentally quirked. "Who knows?" he said with mirth. "A ninja doesn't reveal his secrets"

"Oh you're a ninja? Could have fooled me with how colorful you are" Yang grinned mockingly.

He frowned under his mask and crossed his arms. "Oh? And what would you call a ninja?"

"Well" Yang turns her face to the ravenette of the group. "Her, actually"

Shifting his gaze, Naruto saw Blake holding her katana and her sheath, standing calmly before a standing Ursa which roared and was ready to rip her to shreds. Bringing down its claws, Blake's body seemed to haze in a high speed movement as she jumped up, leaving behind a copy of herself which when the Grimm's claws tore through it like some kind of dark cloth substance, it dissipated.

Huh... that was a lot like a clone.

Blake summoned forth another clone in mid-air, using it to give her a boost of speed and dived forward to the Ursa. She slashed the Grimm across the chest, and called forth another clone, this time she moved towards the Ursa's left side and slashed. Again and again she summoned clones, boosting herself with great speed in quick succession until she was nothing but a flurry of furious slashes all around the beast.

Blake stopped right in front of the Ursa. She placed her cleaver-sheath in a magnetic lock on her back and slowly put away her katana. The hilt touched the sheath with a metallic 'shink'.

Numerous wounds erupted from the Ursa's body, black ichor streaming in torrents as it fell dead on the ground.

As her head turned, Blake lifted a brow as Naruto and Yang were clapping; "Awesome," both said in unison.

"We should get going," the hidden Faunus brought up.

With the nod the trio ran off for the ruins.

XxX ~ Ruby ~ XxX

The red hooded reaper runs through the forests at great speed, her Semblance allowing her to be a blur to the untrained eye.

"Yang..! Yang..!" She called for her sisters in hopes of finding her quickly. _'Ohhh what am I gonna do if I can't find her..? Oh I know! Maybe Naruto, he's cool, he's funny and awesome in a fight... Oh what if he already has a partner?'_

Speeding through, she thought about Jaune. He seemed like a nice guy an all, but probably not good in a fight. Blake... moving on... Nora seemed a little touched on the crazy side, and she barely spoke to Ren. Pyrrha seemed cool, maybe her. Passing by some trees she skidded to a stop just as Weiss came into view. The two blink at each other before the heiress turned and walked away.

"Hey wait!"

Tuning out the younger teen, she stopped seeing Jaune hanging up in a tree by a spear. The blond waved sheepishly as Weiss simply walked back the other way; "HEY! HELP ME PLEASE!" Jaune waved his arms around.

The heiress sighed as she walked back to Ruby. "This does not make us friends"

Ruby slumped till being grabbed by the collar, she looked up and cheered; "You came back!"

' _Lesser of two evils Weiss_ ' She chanted to herself. ' _Lesser of two evils…_ '

"Um..." Ruby realized something as Weiss stopped dragging her. "Did you hear Jaune?"

"No" Weiss said with finality. "You heard nothing"

"Okay..." The heiress kept a faster pace than the reaper. "What's the hurry?"

"I will not let my mission be delayed because you were too slow" Her voice took a threatening tone. "I swear if I get a bad grade because you-"

WHOSH! A gust of wind and flurry of red petals accompanied by a red blur passed by her, and Ruby suddenly was in front of the heiress, smiling cheerfully.

"What the...?" She looked back and forth to where Ruby was and where she used to be. "How did you...?"

"My Semblance!" Ruby exclaimed with a wide smile. "I'm not slow, so you don't have to worry about me!"

Ruby soon vanished in rose petals, only to reappear with arm around Weiss' shoulder; "Just because I'm awkward around people. Not the same against monsters. And when you see how good I beat them up, you will be like 'Wow! That Ruby is really, really cool~. And I want to be her friend'."

 _'Doubtful_ ,' Weiss mentally drawls. She waved off the rose petals as ruby vanished again at high speed. "You maybe fast but you still excel at wasting time."

"Then let's get moving!" With a dash and flurry of petals, Ruby disappeared.

Weiss lifted her hand "Wait that's not..!" She sighed and grumbled. "That's not even the north..."

The bushes rustled, indicating movement behind them. "Well it seems you heard me. Look Ruby, north is that way" She pointed at the correct direction, but she got no answer. "Ruby..?"

Glowing red eyes emerged from behind the bushes all around her. Hungry growls soon replaced the rustling of leaves and branches as Beowulf emerged from all sides.

"Crud..."

One of the Beowulf's roared and leapt at her, sharp claws coming down to strike her. Weiss drew her rapier in a flurry and parried the attack, yet the strength was such it threw her skidding across the earth.

Yet the heiress remained focus; ' _Remember your training... Focus..._ '

Heads up, shoulders back, right foot forward... not that forward, slow your breathing, wait for the right time to strike. _'And..._ ' With a flurry, she brought Myrtenaster close to her, the top-break revolver-like chamber spinning inside, selecting the desired dust to use.

' _Now_!' A glyph materialized behind her, giving her the impulse needed to swiftly dash forward, drawing upon the red dust in the chamber, she channeled the fire element through her weapon. She raised her rapier to strike down the Beowulf on her path.

When suddenly a red and black blur appeared and slashed the Grimm with a great scythe. "Got'cha!"

Weiss's face shifted into surprise and worry. She halted to a stop in order to avoid hitting Ruby with her attack, the momentum was not so easily shrugged off, and a careless slash of her blade sent a wave of fire directly towards a rather lone tree, which immolated it nearly immediately.

Ruby was pushed back by one of the wolf monsters, inadvertently bumping into Weiss; "Hey watch it!"

"Excuse me. You attacked out of turn, I could have killed you," Weiss snapped.

Ruby just rolled her eyes as she stood up; "Takes more than that to finish me off." She remained steady as the Beowulf pack try to surround her and the heiress, until the fire started by Weiss's missed attack began surrounding them.

Grabbing the younger teen's wrist, Weiss ran with Ruby as the wolf Grimm scattered due to the expanding flames.

They ran as far as they could, leave the area of the short-lived battle behind. A plume of smoke rose as the flames continued to burn. They reached a stop, panting as they tried to regain their breaths.

"What was that?!" Ruby exclaimed. "That should have been easy!"

Weiss put on a fake smile. "Maybe if you know how to exercise the slightest bit of caution with your strikes" She scowled darkly and pointed at the smoke. "I wouldn't have set the forest on fire!"

"What? You're blaming me for that?"

The heiress pinched her nose. "I can't understand how someone who talks so much could communicate so little"

Ruby crossed her arms indignantly. "Maybe you just need MY help to win a fight"

"Well" Weiss's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Congratulations on being the strongest child to sneak your way into Beacon" She turned around and walked away, throwing her hands in the air. "Bravo"

Rage built up inside Ruby, so much she couldn't control it. With a scream of frustration she unfolded Crescent Rose and chopped down a tree. Reluctantly, she followed after the heiress.

 _'I hope Yang and everyone is doing okay_ ,' the young reaper mentally muttered.

Neither of them noticed a giant black feather landing besides the fallen tree.

XxX ~ Yang, Naruto, and Blake ~ XxX

"So who's partnered with whom again?" That was the open question brought up by Naruto as they made their way north.

Blake held back a sigh. "I would suggest we just wait until we run into someone else who doesn't have a partner, that way we can sort this out easily"

"I guess..." Yang muttered.

A moment of silence passed.

"So we should already decide who is with whom so we know who'll need a partner next time we see someone" The foxy blonde said.

This time Blake didn't bother holding back her sigh.

"If we're choosing, I wanna partner up with Blake"

"Hey" Naruto whined in indignation.

Blake was honestly surprised and a bit touched. She didn't expect to be the first choice to be someone's partner. But she couldn't help but think Yang and Naruto, being very similar personality wise, would make a better pair than her and ya-

"Didn't you see those clones' things she did? Homework with her as a partner would be a breeze!"

The Faunus in disguise rolled her eyes. _'Of course..._ '

 _Kage bunshin no jutsu_ _!_

Both ladies turned, now gawk seeing three Narutos; "Not the only one who can make clones dattebayo."

"Woah!" Yang looked on ecstatic. "You can do that, Whiskers? I thought your Semblance was that blue fire thing!"

"Nope" He dispelled the clones. "The blue fire was a technique I know. These guys I summon they can act on their own, plus, everything they learn I learn too"

 _'How... All I can get my clones to do is provide a distraction_ ,' for some reason Blake was impressed but also a bit miffed by the fox Faunus move.

"You have got to show Ruby when we get out of here," Yang smiled brightly.

The trio made their way through the dense forest as they noticed broken walls and pillars littering the area. They had to be getting close!

"If you wait by the ruins you're most likely to find someone who still doesn't have a partner" Blake instructed to Naruto.

"Yeah I guess that-" He frowned. "Wait a minute. Why me..?"

"Because Yang already called me her partner" There was a subtle hint of a coy smirk on her lips. "And she did not take it back, even after you showed off your clones"

"...Well what do you know?" Yang smirked proudly. "There is humor underneath all that aloofness"

A twitch came from blond Uzumaki's brow, just as his danger sense went. Moving both his hands he unleashed a basic wind jutsu that sent the girls flying to safety. Just as a giant king Taijitu appeared and opened its maw, Naruto grumbled; "Oh shit..."

In one move that happen in seconds, the Grimm serpent devours the fox Faunus.

"NARUTO!" Yang and Blake both screamed as they got their bearings and stood up.

"Oh you bastard!" Yang's eyes flared red and her hair shone with a fiery golden haze. She took a fighting stance her gauntlets activated.

Blake bared her teeth in a furious snarl, with a quick motion she took both her katana and cleaver-sheath. Both teens quickly ran towards the great two headed snake.

They jumped at the gaping maws of the Taijitu, weapons at the ready to strike down the beast... when the side of the white head's neck blew up.

The Taijitu growled in agony and trashed about, while the white head's neck was snapped away from the blast. The girls were forced to halt as they stood on the ground watching with wide eyes as a figure jumped away from the creature.

Naruto landed in front of them, covered in black ichor and dark gore which were quickly disintegrating. His right eye was twitching.

He growled, seething before looking up to the sky; "Why... does EVERY GODDAMN GIANT SNAKE I COME ACROSS KEEP EATING ME! OROCHIMARU, YOU EVER SHOW YOUR FUCKING PALE ASS FACE HERE YOU SON OF BITCH, I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU AN SKIN YOU FOR A BELT!" The blond's enraged words echoed throughout the entire forest, which even made Ozpin back at the cliff, lift a brow.

The Uzumaki huffed as he slouched forward glared over at Yang and Blake; "What? Never seen a guy hold a grudge before?" He stomped away angrily.

The girls shared a confused look. "Well... that was a thing" Yang muttered, Blake could only slowly nod at his strange behavior.

With a hissing roar, the black head of the king Taijitu rose up, baring its fangs furiously at the Hunters in training.

"Oh great, we have that one to take care of still..." Naruto drawled.

"Not a fan of snakes uh Whiskers?"

"Did my rant not give me away?" He replied sarcastically.

"You've got a story with those from what I got. You're gonna have to tell me about you always getting swallowed by-YIKES!" The trio jumped away as the Taijitu slammed down its head right in between them, breaking the ground in a spider-web patter in the process.

"Okay, okay!" Yang smirked. "I get it, you're mad Whiskers killed your life-partner, but hey, plenty of fish in the sea, or snakes in the grass in... your... case..." Her speech slowly came to a halt, as her eyes widened.

The reason? She caught sight of a single strand of her beautiful blonde hair slowly falling to the ground.

What proceed was perhaps the worst beating either Naruto or Blake ever seen as they saw Yang covered in flames, her hair glowing, and dashed forward so fast you'd miss it in a blink. The black Taijitu had no time to react as the buxom blond started slamming her fists into it in rapid succession.

The Faunus in disguise and the fox where thrown back on their buts from the sheer force of the strikes as the earth trembled. With each blow the ground caved and cracked, pieces of burning dark flesh flew about in chunks; deeper and deeper she went until Yang was no longer visible. And only the tail of the Taijitu stood out from the hole. It quickly disintegrated.

Slowly, Naruto and Blake peered over the hole to see Yang panting, her hair slowing losing its shine, her eyes returning to their usual lilac.

"Nobody" She let out a long breath, anger lacing her words. "Touches. The hair"

Blake and Naruto just looked at each other and wordlessly nodded, shaking hands. Pissing off Yang Xiao Long would not be beneficial to their health. Both slid back as the blond girl stormed passed them; "Come on you two!"

"Yes ma'am!"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Ruby sat cross-legged on the ground, she had a dull expression her face as she played with a fallen leaf.

Weiss paced back and forth in front of her. "This way..! No, wait it's… definitely that way!" With a huff, the heiress stopped. "Alright, it's official. We passed it"

Ruby looked at the heiress as she stood up. "Why can't you admit you're lost?"

"Because I know exactly where we're going" Weiss stubbornly insisted. "We… are going to… the Forest Temple!"

The reaper rolled her eyes. "Ugh!"

The heiress glared at her. "Oh don't pretend like YOU know where we are"

Ruby angrily turned to face her. "At least I don't pretend I know everything!"

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Weiss demanded with narrowed eyes.

The red hooded her stomped on the ground with her foot. "It means you're a… big… stupid jerk and I hate you!"

Weiss threw her head back and groaned at the childish response. "Just keep moving" She began walking in a random direction.

"'Oh just keep walking'" Ruby did a mocking imitation of the heiress. "'Hurry up. Waaaaah, watch where you're going' Why are you so bossy?!"

Weiss sharply turned and glared. "I'm not bossy, don't say things like that!" She ordered.

"Stop treating me like a kid!" Ruby snapped.

"Well stop acting like a kid!" Weiss rebuked.

"Stop acting like you're perfect!" The small reaper shouted.

"I'm. Not. Perfect!" The heiress shouted back, and after a moment's pause she added. "Not yet… But I'm still leagues better than you" With that said, she walked away.

Ruby's gaze dropped the ground. "You don't even know me…"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Walking out of the tree line, the trio walked into the ruins. "Chess pieces?" Naruto lifted a brow.

"Must be the relics professor Ozpin told us to find" Blake reasoned as she stared one of the black pieces. "Some are missing, we must not be the first to make it here"

"Hmm" Yang set her sights on a golden knight, briefly wondering about why it was that color and not white, but decided to pay it no mind in the end. She snatches the piece from its pedestal and shows it to the others. "How about a cute little pony?"

Both Blake and Naruto shrugged. "Sure why not?" All three froze as a high pitch scream echoed loudly.

"A girl's in trouble!" Yang looked around. "What should we..." She stopped seeing Naruto and Blake looking up. She followed their gaze and she saw Ruby coming down from the sky, only to be struck and sent flying into the trees by a flying Jaune.

With swirls in her eyes, Ruby shook off the mental stars and beowolves, realizing she was sitting on a large branch, she saw Jaune hanging upside down looking at her; "Uh... Hey Ruby."

"Did your sister just fall from the sky?" Both Naruto and Blake asked out loud.

The buxom blond was about to answer till seeing an Ursa come out of the forest roaring. "Yehaw!"

They saw Nora, of all the possible things the bubbly girl could be doing, riding upon the back of the monstrous bear. The Grimm soon fell to the ground after a blast from Nora's weapons finally ended its life.

The energetic girl let out a disappointed whine. "Awww" She said like a child who had lost her favorite toy. "It's broken" She stood upon its corpse, looking at it with a grossed out expression.

"Nora!" Came Ren's voice as the black haired boy appeared, panting as he rested a hand over the Ursa's bony spike to support himself. "Don't ever do that again"

She disappeared in the blink of an eye, and stared in fascination at the golden tower piece. She took it and immediately broke into a song and dance. "I'm the queen of the castle~! I'm the queen of the castle~!"

"Nora!"

She stopped dancing, balancing the rook on her head before letting it fall to her hand with a giggle. "Coming Ren!"

Naruto could only stare. "Did Nora just come here riding on an Ursa?"

"I..." Yang stammered.

The gurgling roar of a Grimm brought their attention to the edge of the forest, where they saw Pyrrha running away from a giant Deathstalker. The beast smashed the trees on its way like toothpicks, snapping its mandibles as it moved.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune exclaimed, trying to get out of the tree as Ruby got up and ran off; "Ruby!"

Leaping out of the tree and rolling onto the ground, the little reaper stood up near the ruins; "Ruby!" Yang and Naruto looked over.

"Yang, Naruto." She was about to hug her sister as Nora got between them; "NORA!"

Pyrrha kept running as the Deathstalker remained on her tail. Blake lifted a brow at the scene; "Did she honestly run all the way here with that thing chasing her?"

Nora only swayed as she giggled watching Yang slowly losing her temper. "CAN EVERYONE JUST SHUT UP FOR TWO SECONDS BEFORE SOMETHING ELSE CRAZY HAPPENS?!" Golden fire covers the buxom blond as her eyes turned red.

 _'One, two'_ Naruto mentally mused as he high fived a breathless Ren who came over.

"Um... Yang?" Ruby tapped her shoulder and pointed up; her sister just let her head fall in exasperation.

"HOW COULD YOU LEAVE ME?!" Looking up to the sky they saw Weiss, handing on for dear life on a great talon... which belonged to a giant Nevermore.

"How did she even get there?" Naruto had to ask.

"Long story... I did say jump!" Ruby called to the Schnee.

Blake, being her positive self, said "She's gonna fall"

"She'll be fine" Ruby waved her off.

"She's falling" Ren deadpanned.

Naruto prepared to jump and catch her, when they suddenly saw Jaune jumping from the tree and catching her bridal style.

"Nice catch Jaune" He had to compliment before reality set in. "...They're still falling"

Jaune landed face-first with a painful thud, with Weiss colliding over him in a sitting position. "My hero..." She dryly muttered

"My back..." The Arc groaned.

Pyrrha kept running away from the Deathstalker, but this one managed to get close enough so the Spartan was within its reach. With a slam of its pincer, Pyrrha was sent flying through the air. She landed right next to the group.

"Great!" Yang said with a faux cheery tone. "The gang's all hear, now we can die together!"

Ruby gave a coy smile to her sister; "Not while I'm here we're not." She dashed forward in a trail of rose petals to charge the Deathstalker. Both Naruto and Yang could not stop her as she went at high speed, for which the monstrous let a challenging shriek and charged its prey.

The reaper unfolded her scythe and with a powerful shot was sent flying with great force towards the Deathstalker. But the great scorpion merely swatted her away like a fly.

The landed on the ground with a thud, but quickly rolled with the impact and rose up. "D-Don't worry, totally fine!" She boasted, before turning and seeing the Deathstalker was but a few feet away from her.

Quickly, she aimed Crescent Rose and fired, the high impact bullet might as well have been a mosquito bite as the Deathstalker barely flinched.

Realizing she could not take it on her own, Ruby quickly ran away, folding Crescent Rose unto her back.

"Ruby..!" Yang shouted for her sister, she and Naruto quickly sprinted towards her as they saw the Nevermore coming back, seemingly setting its sights on the red hooded girl.

With a bloodcurdling cry, the Nevermore flapped its wings and unleashed a hail of thick and sharp arrows which embedded themselves on the ground like projectiles, piercing Ruby's hood and pinning her back.

The hail continued various meters long in a straight line. "Shit!" Naruto cursed as he grabbed Yang and jumped away to avoid being impaled by the deadly feathers.

Ruby desperately pulled her cape, trying to free herself. Her eyes widened when the Deathstalker approached, its stinger raised and ready to strike.

"Ruby..!" Yang cried out in terror, when suddenly a white blur dashed right by her and Naruto.

Ruby closed her eyes as the stinger came down. But the impact never came, instead, all she felt was the crackling of ice and the frosty temperatures that came with being so close to it.

"You're so childish" Came Weiss's admonishing voice.

Upon opening her eyes, the young teen was greet to the golden stinger of the Deathstalker, only inches from Ruby. She saw a thick wall of ice holding it in place as While kept talking; "And dimwitted, hyperactive, and do 'not' get me started on your fighting style," the heiress wave a dismissive hand before she sighed. "I suppose I can be a bit... difficult. But if we're going to do this," she leans down to Ruby; "We do this together. So no more showing off okay? I will be... Nicer."

"I'm not trying to show off," Ruby said quietly. "I want to show you I can do this."

"You're fine," Weiss spoke calmly as she walked away.

Ruby only sighed as she got up, she noticed the Deathstalker trying to pry it's stinger out of the ice while it glared over at Weiss. Running back to her sister, the buxom blond engulfed Ruby in a hug while Naruto patted her head in relief.

They regrouped, yet the Nevermore kept circling around the clearing.

"It's coming back!" Jaune said with urgency.

"Our objective is right here" Weiss said, pointing at the relics. "That is our mission. There is no sense in staying here"

Ruby nodded. "She's right. Our mission is to grab and artifact and return" The heiress smiled and nodded in approval. "We don't have to fight these things"

"I was kinda looking forward to it" Naruto confessed. "But I guess you're right" There wasn't any sense in risking their lives when their objective could be completed right now.

Jaune and Ruby quickly grabbed the golden knight and rook pieces.

Far away from them, the Deathstalker screeched and struggled to free itself, the ice slowly began to crack.

"Time we left!" Ren exclaimed.

Ruby smiled with confidence and signaled the others to follow her. "Let's go" The quickly ran further into the clearing, seeking to evade the giant Grimms and return to the cliff.

Yang remained behind for a moment, watching proudly as her sister took the lead. It seemed not so long ago she was this little girl who always asked her older sister for bedtime's stories about heroes.

Blake and Naruto noticed Yang remained still with a smile. "Something wrong?" Blake asked.

Yang let out a short breath which carried a bit of melancholy. "Nothing" Yet her smile and the look on her eyes was filled with pride.

Naruto caught on what she was looking at, he saw Ruby standing on a rock, unwavering as she lead the others, and understood what Yang was feeling right now. "Your sister is something else" He said with a grin.

The lilac eyed blonde's smile widened. "I know"

After exchanging a few smiles, the trio quickly ran to join with the others.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

The further they went the more they realized the path they were taking wouldn't bring them back to professor Ozpin as they had thought. Rows of ancient carved columns and arches came into view as they saw the great ruins of an old temple still standing before a Cliff-side, with a deep chasm underneath.

The Nevermore circled over them before perching at the top of the ruins and letting out an echoing howl. The group quickly took cover begin various columns to avoid being seen.

"Great..." Yang groaned.

"Maybe we can come back from where we came" Pyrrha suggested as she held her sword and shield while peering behind her cover to observe the Nevermore.

Naruto's and Blake's keen hearing quickly alerted them as they great the sounds of crumbling trees. "I don't think that is gonna be an option..." The blonde said gravely.

From the forest, the Deathstalker returned, tearing down trees on its path.

"Oh man... Run!" Jaune yelled as every dashed forward. The Nevermore screeched on its perch as it took flight again.

"Nora, distract it," Ren said running beside the orange haired girl.

She smiled as she drew her grenade launcher from her back. The bubbly girl fired grenade after grenade, resulting in pink explosions on the air. One of the grenades impacted the Nevermore directly on its face, yet all it managed to do was throw its head back for a moment before the Nevermore took flight and began circling around the ruins.

The Deathstalker quickly came from behind the Valkyrie but was intercepted Blake and Ren who attacked it with a flurry of their blades.

Weiss jumped next to Nora and grabbed hear, a glyph materialized beneath them, giving them the impulse necessary to jump over a high distance and away from the creature.

Pyrrha and Jaune ran across the stone bridge, turning back the amazon saw Ren and Blake running away from the Deathstalker, while Nora and Weiss descended upon the bridge.

Summoning Miló and Akoúo̱ from her back with her Semblance, Pyrrha swiftly changed her blade/spear to its hunting rifle mode, and aimed over one of her shields indents. "Go, go!" She shouted and fired at the Deathstalker, trying to distract it enough for her companions to evade it.

Ren jumped over the bridge and rolled on the ground, he stood up and quickly drawing Stormflower he began firing on the scorpion. Yet both Pyrrha's strong shots and his barrage of bullets only bounced of the Deathstalker's hardened armor plates.

Seeing their attacks had no effect, they ran alongside the others towards the ruin. But the Nevermore had returned and set its sights on them, flying at great speed.

"Watch out!" Naruto warned.

The giant avian monster slammed against the bridge, tearing it apart and splitting the teams into two uneven groups.

Shaking off the cobwebs, Jaune got to his feet, he saw while half made it safety on one side. Pyrrha, Ren, and Blake were facing the Deathstalker alone. "We have got to get over there! They need help!" He looked down the edge of the broken bridge; "But I can make that jump."

What he did not see behind him was a crazed manic smile from Nora; "Air Nora at you service!" She smacked the blond away as her grenade launcher shifted into a large size combat hammer. With a wild glint in her eye, Shift turned her back to Pyrrha and the others fighting as she brought her weapon down.

Jaune only screamed as the section of the bridge he was on became a catapult courtesy of Nora, who then stood on the mallet portion of the hammer and pulled the trigger sending her flying.

Naruto sweatdrops at the sight; "And people call me crazy..."

"Ahhhhh!" With a wild war cry, Nora shortened the distance between herself and the Deathstalker. "SMASH!" She brought down Magnhild upon the monstrous scorpion's head.

While the beast was brought down to the ground, the blow did not manage to stun it. Nora saw the tail move, and quickly pulled the trigger, creating a detonation that sent her flying away from its deadly stinger. Her back collided with Blake, sending the faunus in disguise falling down the great chasm.

The wind brushed loudly as she fell, looking up, she saw the others battling the Nevermore at a distance. Narrowing her gaze, she threw Gambol in its kusarigama form. It fire, giving it more impulse. The collapsed blade buried itself on stone, and Blake swung herself with the weapon's ribbon in between the pillars.

The Nevermore flew overhead. Blake pulled the ribbon to return Gambol to her. Using the momentum of her swing, she launched herself at the Nevermore. Summoning a clone, she gave herself impulse to reach its head and struck.

Propelling herself with another clone, Blake launched a flurry of slashes upon the monstrous raven. Yet it was to no avail, its layers of feathers were too tough for her weapons to pierce.

Jumping away, she landed gracefully upon a broken section of the temple's tower, reuniting with the others who stood on the broken wall as well.

"It's tougher than it looks" Blake grunted.

Yang knocked her gauntlets, loading up new shells. "Then let's hit it with everything we've got!"

Ruby aimed Crescent Rose, Weiss spun the chamber of her Myrtenaster and conjured various small glyphs around her, and Blake shifted Gambol Shroud to its pistol form, Yang took a stance and loaded up the shells with her aura, while Naruto ran a pair finger over his blade, shrouding the katana with blue flames.

The unleashed a barrage of attacks, many of them which missed the Nevermore head on, and those that hit it straight didn't seem to do much damage.

Bending his knees, Naruto shot himself upwards as he swung his katana. A large crescent of blue fire explodes forward that slammed into the Nevermore in a great blast of fire. The blond fox landed on his feet beside Weiss; ' _Impressive_...' The heiress couldn't help but praise.

The Nevermore emerged from the smoke and flames, its feathers a bit singed but otherwise unharmed.

The fox man's eyes widened. "How tough is this thing?!"

High caliber bullets and aura based attacks rained down upon the Nevermore in a furious barrage of firepower. The sky was filled with explosions and trails of light from as they impacted upon their target, yet the Nevermore was not slowing down, it took their attacks head on, barely even flinching as it closed the distance.

"Shit!" Naruto swore as the great Grimm destroyed the pillars sustaining the temple's tower in one fell swoop of its wing.

They ran as fast as they could as everything literally crumbled all around them. They jumped, using the falling rocks as support to give themselves a boost. Naruto used chakra on his feet to better steady himself upon the falling rubble so he could jump over from rock to rock. Yang blasted away crumbling rubble both to clear hear path and give herself a boost.

Weiss moved with grace, generating glyphs to impede her fall and launch herself to higher ground, while Ruby using the high impact shots of Crescent Rose to push herself higher.

Finding solid ground again, Weiss and Naruto land beside each other; "None of this is working." The heiress muttered as Ruby landed behind them.

Naruto just glared at the flying Grimm; "One opening and I can knock the bastard into the mountain side over there."

The young reaper looked around Seeing Yang on top of a pillar attacking the Nevermore, and Blake using her ribbon to land safely. "I got a plan!"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Meanwhile, the others were fighting their own battle against the Deathstalker. The great scorpion had cornered them into a tight spot; it pierced the front of the bridge with its golden stinger and pulled, seeking to tumble down the already weakened structure.

Jaune could feel the ground beneath them shake. They had no choice. "We gotta move!"

His comrades nodded, and so they rushed towards the Deathstalker. Raising its right pincer, the giant Grimm brought it down upon the amazon who deflected the blow with her shield, and slashed the Grimm's mandible a swipe of her blade.

The Grimm roared as the attack managed to actually inflict some pain. It brought down its left pincer this time, but once more the blow was deflected by a shield. Jaune grunted as he held the pincer back, Pyrrha took the chance to jump and thrust her blade into the limbs joints, pushing it back.

Ren spotted the golden pincer and realized they needed to take it out. He taunted the Deathstalker by firing his automatic pistols at it. The Grimm roared and thrust its tail at him; he dodged the stinger and hoped on to it just in time as the Deathstalker coiled its tail back. Ren aimed at the joint between the tail and the stinger, firing a barrage of bullets which tore through flesh and bone.

Nora took aim and fired her grenades upon the Grimm. Seeing the attack coming, the Deathstalker shielded itself with its pincers, the swift wide motion of its limbs forcing Jaune and Pyrrha back as the grenades exploded.

When she skid to a halt, Pyrrha hefted her spear and threw it with all her strength, the firing mechanism of her weapon activated as she did so, sending her spear with even greater speed and strength. The Deathstalker tried to block it, but it managed to slip through an opening between its pincers and stabbed one of its multiple eyes.

The beast roared in pain and trashed its tail, sending Ren through until his back painfully collided with a solid stone column and he fell to the ground.

"Ren!" Nora shouted in worry for her longtime friend.

Getting back to his feet, Jaune took notice of the golden stinger barely hanging off the Deathstalker. "Pyrrha!"

The Spartan also saw the stinger; "Done!" In one throw, her shield became a deadly Frisbee as it slashed off the stinger which slammed downward onto the Deathstalker's head. It screeched in pain as Jaune turned to Nora; "Bring the hammer down!"

"Head up!" As Pyrrha's shield flew back, she bent her knees putting it over her body for Nora to jump on top of it. The combined strength of the Spartan and Nora's grenade launcher sent the girl flying upwards. She only giggled as gravity takes over.

She pulled the trigger on Magnhild, and the blast sent her faster towards the ground. She spun in the air a few times before bringing down the hammer unto the stinger, not only was the impact so great it managed to pierce the armored plates all the way to the Deathstalker's brain, but also made the bridge crumble away, catapulting the others to the other side.

Jaune screamed while Pyrrha used her semblance to call her weapon back into her hand. With another blast, Nora launched herself to safety. Jaune landed on his back, Nora on her bum, while Pyrrha landed in a perfect pose as she crouched. Ren slowly came to their side, he gasped for breath as exhaustion and pain seeped through his body.

"That was fun!" Nora cheered. "Again!"

Ren collapsed on the ground

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

The Nevermore circled over the temple, avoiding the exploding flares fired by the blonde brawler who stood atop the broken ruin.

The avian Screeched in more annoyance than pain as it circled back opening it massive beck to eat the human. It felt like slow motion for Yang as leaped into the monster's mouth, but her super human strength holding the Nevermore's mouth as she fired her Ember Celica with her free arm into its throat.

"I. Hope. You're. Hungry!" She back flipped after firing one more round. The sent the Giant bird into the mountain side hard. It landed on the roof of the ruin, letting out a loud shriek. Landing on one knee she saw her sister and the others and smirked as she dashed forward with Naruto and Weiss heading for the Grimm.

With a glyph helping her leap into the air, the heiress slammed down the tip of her rapier just as the Nevermore was about to escape, creating a great wall of ice which froze the tip Nevermore's tail, keeping it from flying away.

 _Odama Rasengan_ _!_

Naruto slammed into the creature's chest a great sphere of spiraling azure energy. The monster howled in pain as the sheer force of the attack tore through various hardened feathers and the pressure made a few ribs snap.

With battle cry, Naruto thrust his hand, throwing the Nevermore into the Cliff-side, embedding it unto the rocks which crumbled in spider web patterns when it collided against it.

The fox youth jumped back to the ground next to Weiss. They could still see the beast moving somewhat, trying to free itself from, chunks of earth fell as the beast struggled.

"Tch, tough bastard" Naruto grunted as he and Weiss began running towards the others. "My attack hurt him but it didn't kill him"

"Look at its since, it's got to be an Elder Grimm, at least" The heiress replied. "That was some impressive aura manipulation there" She complimented. Twice now she had seen his skill in manipulating dust and aura.

"Nothing fancy compared with your glyphs though" He smirked. "Let's hope they can help with Ruby's plan"

"Hmph!" The heiress sniffed in a way that reminded him too much of Sasuke for his liking. "Do not doubt my skills"

The blond Uzumaki rolled his eyes, as both he and Weiss saw Blake wrap her battle ribbon on one pillar. She threw her blade over to Yang wrapped the other end of the ribbon as both ran past. Ruby leaped on the ribbon like a rubber band.

Weiss quickly made glyphs that held Ruby as she stretch the ribbon back enough; "Of course this would be your plan."

"I think it's awesome," Naruto commented.

That made the little reaper smile before turning serious to Weiss; "You got this?"

"As if you have to ask" the heiress scoffed.

Ruby blinked and looked confused for a second. "Well, do-?"

"Of course I do!"

The Nevermore screeched as it began to raise one more.

"Now!"

The ribbon from Gambol Shroud, the glyph prepared by Weiss, the high impact shot from Crescent Rose and the activation of Ruby's semblance all combined launched the red hooded girl with so much force the ground behind them cracked, sending chunks of stone flying.

Ruby soared through the air at amazing speeds, leaving behind a trail of red petals while she occasionally shot Crescent Rose to keep her current velocities and give herself and impulse.

The Nevermore managed to distance its head from the Cliff-side, only for its neck to be caught between the edge of a scythe and the rocks.

With a flick of her wrist, Weiss formed a long line of glyphs over the cliff until reaching the top, granting Ruby a steady support for her to remain attached to the glyph and as well as boosting her movements.

Ruby let out a long cry as she dragged the giant beast with her scythe, its body teared through the rocks of the cliff. She pulled and pulled as much as her strength would allow, and ran as fast as her legs would take her. She pushed her Semblance to the limit and kept shooting Crescent Rose's high impact shots to give her a boost, as the body of the Nevermore was just ungodly heavy.

They reached the top of the cliff, and with one last shot Ruby severed the head of the beast with a sickening sound. Flurry petals rained down everywhere from the extended use of her semblance, she landed of the ground with her scythe hefted over her shoulders as the petals fell around her.

The headless corpse of the Nevermore fell down the cliff and into the great chasm.

Jaune and his companions could only stare in awe. "Woah..."

Naruto was much more vocal at the sight of their victory. "Hell yeah! You're awesome Ruby!"

"Wooooh!" Yang cheered, holding up her arms and jumping. "That's my sister!"

Blake and Weiss for their part let out a relieved sigh and smiled.

Ruby looked down the cliff and smiled down at her friends. They had done it; they had killed two giant and powerful Grimm through their combined efforts. It had been amazing; she had felt fear during their battle but fought regardless of it, and the elation of victory that came after it just couldn't be put into words. It was like she had prepared for this her whole life, like she was made for it.

The coming years at Beacon weren't looking so bad now...

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Loud applause reverberated throughout the main hall as Ozpin spoke out names for the teams created during the test and they chess piece they attained. When they had gotten back to the academy, Naruto was literally tackled by his mother with a bone crushing hug.

This earned a few laughs from their friends, and an embarrassed blush from the blond Uzumaki. Currently, Naruto stood beside Ruby and the others as Ozpin spoke. "With the black bishop pieces your team will now be known as team CRDL. Led by Cardin Winchester"

He did not know why, but something about that Cardin fellow felt off about him. But he just shook it off.

"Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, and Nora Valkyrie." The four stood at attention in front of the headmaster. "The four of you retrieved the white rook. From this day forward you will work together as Team JNPR. Led by Jaune Arc."

The young man looked outright stunned as Pyrrha patted him on the back, which sent him to the ground. Glynda only sighed while Kushina giggled beside her.

It was then that Naruto realized something. He quickly paled "Guys..." He whispered to Yang and Blake. "We still haven't figure out who's partnered with who"

Yang's eyes widened while Blake palmed her face, exasperated with herself at having forgotten. "We're an uneven number for a team" The faunus in disguise reasoned. "The other teams were already selected... one of us will have to leave the team"

Ruby looked at them with a mixture of shock and terror. "What?!" She whispered harshly. They couldn't split them, they just couldn't!

They fell silent when Ozpin spoke once more. "Could Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Yang Xiao Long, Blake Belladonna and Naruto Uzumaki please come to the stage?"

Whispers and words of confusion rang through the entire room, all of them wondering why the headmaster had called the five at the same time.

The five stood before stopping at attention, all of them felt nervous but didn't allow themselves to show it. Kushina only watched impassively while she crossed her arms.

"It is an oddity" The headmaster began. "That with all our procedures and tests, an uneven number of applicants manage to pass the initiation" His tone was completely neutral. "As you know, teams are formed with even numbers of four with two sets of partners to form well-balanced unit cohesion. Such it has been since the founding of the academies"

The five braced themselves. Ruby feared that either her sister, Blake or Naruto would be taken out of the team. Weiss worried she might be the one, she had come too far only to let a setback like this throw her back so much... yet the part that feared for herself soon found itself worrying more for her companions and she didn't fully understand why.

Naruto, Blake and Yang steeled themselves, knowing the odds were against them. Naruto understood that regardless of whatever deal Ozpin made with Grey, the headmaster wouldn't show favoritism and but would still try to honor their agreement as best as he could.

"That being said" The headmaster smiled, it felt like a very comforting and reassuring gesture. "You five have displayed an outstanding level of cooperation and team dynamics regardless of your numbers, able to overcome the obstacles on your path. And each of you has shown a great level of potential, one that would be wasted if any of you is made to wait another year"

To everyone's surprise, their five mug shots appeared on the screen, along with their names.

"So, it is because of those reason that it was decided that you five are to become Beacon's first five-cell team" The headmaster announced. Only their initials remained as the rest of their names faded, their pictures were brought closer along with their letters. "You will be Team RWBYN, led by Ruby Rose"

"WHAT!" the five yelled in shock as a stunned silence came through the room. Save a very loud Kushina who cheered and dancing like a crazy woman.

"YES! MY SON HAS A HAREM! FINALLY I CAN GET SOME GRANDKIDS DATTEBANE!"

"MOM!" Naruto yelled blushing in sheer humiliation. He couldn't believe his mother had just said that...

Once the shock had passed it was first replaced by laughter prompted by the hilarity displayed on the stage, which then quickly evolved into applause to celebrate Beacon's first five-cell team.

"You did it guys!" Jaune cheered for them.

Ruby, now realizing the role of leadership had been entrusted to her, was at a loss of words, while Weiss couldn't believe what she just heard. Yang for her part launched herself at her sister and hugged her tightly. "I'm so proud of you!"

Naruto sighed, still miffed at his mother's words. He shoved the feeling of shame aside, and looked at Ruby with a wide smile. "Congrats Rubes!" He playfully ruffled her hair.

Blake allowed herself a small smile. Perhaps Beacon hadn't been a bad idea after all, she saw at the people who would be her team for the next four years, and considered herself fortunate all things considered.

Goodwitch dryly looked at Kushina who just kept smiling after saying such a scandalous and improper thing.

Ozpin chuckled. "Well, things are shaping up to be an interesting year"

Glynda face palmed.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

In a dark room illuminated only by the light of various monitors displaying various moments of the events at the Emerald Forest, sat a lone figure on a tall chair. He clicked a button repeatedly so he could see the small reaper chop off the Nevermore's head over and over again.

The sounds of steps filled the room, and into the light stepped a tall woman with long blue spiky hair, dressed in a military style uniform. She looked at the screens and frowned.

"How long are you gonna keep repeating that clip?" She asked.

"When I get tired of it" The man in the chair said. "Come on, that is one sweet kill. Eh, eh" He played the clip in slow motion. "Sssshhhlick!" He mimicked the sound the blade must have made when decapitating the beast. "You can't tell me that's not awesome" He leant forward; his face was illuminated by the monitor's lights. Revealing a man in his thirties-to-forties, his black hair was combed back, with a few strands standing over his forehead. His strong jaw had some light stubble on it, his lips twisted in a smirk, while his green eyes shined with amusement. "Gonna put this one on my favorites"

The woman at his side rolled her eyes. "Impressive for a bunch of rookies, I'll give them that"

The man paused a screen, and pointed at it with a finger so the woman could see a figure; "That is no rookie."

Her cold blues shift to the screen as they widen, they had seen him before in their reports; "A Journeyman... So that information wasn't off after all." She commented, seeing the image of Naruto standing beside the girls.

"It's genius. Have to admit Grey really did outdo himself on this one."

"Oh?"

"Yeah" The man sighed as he leaned back on his chair, placing a closed hand to his cheek. "Lend some of their better trusted officers to Beacon, the headmaster pulls his influence on the Vale council to push for greater support and cooperation with the wilds. This leads to joint efforts of both sides, which leads to better trading deals, territory expansion overseen by people who know the area and how to protect it, which eventually leads to a greater stabilization of the territory by pacifying bandit activity and freeing more territories from the presence of Grimm. Simple, yet effective... Too bad it'll end up failing for the same reason things like that always fail"

The blue haired woman said nothing, opting to look at the monitors once again.

"Got any new reports Minerva?"

"Yes Jake" She pulls out a scroll and connects it with the computer before her, transferring the files she displays the new data acquired. "As we thought, White Fang are transferring more of their manpower and activities towards Vale, while staying hidden in the wilds around it"

"All without the police or Hunters knowing" Jake mused.

"They have help, of that there is no doubt, someone with the resources to keep them hidden and provide them with plenty of arms and dust. Not to mention..." Minerva tapped a button, and at the central monitor an image was displayed, that of a large mechanized battle suit.

Jake stood straighter on his chair. "The Atlesian Paladin" He whispered. "You mean to tell whoever is supplying for them can give them access to SECRET prototype military hardware?"

"The White Fang can't be possibly the ones behind it" She shook her head. "They're just thugs with a victim complex. They have waged their private war against the SDC for some time well enough, but they can't pull off something like this"

"This means whoever is giving them all this stuff must be calling the shots. And is someone with so much pull they can get access to Atlas' projects..." He sighed. "There is another player acting behind the curtains Minerva, you know what that means?"

"It just means that Cipher has another opponent" The blue haired woman coldly responded. "If they stand in our path, they will die, simple as that"

"I'd rather not underestimate our enemies, thank you" He stood up from his chair, a dark tattered cloak trailing behind him. "We won't let any of those morons beat us in this game, a game we have been playing at far longer than any of them. Cipher will be the ones to change the world"


	4. Academy Life

Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto or RWBY

Co-author and Beta: Etheral-23

Chapter 4: Academy life

A quick discrete look to her Scroll told Blake it was 12:35. She sighed, knowing she really ought to get some sleep right now.

It was easier for her new teammates; the events of the test had left them all exhausted and in need have much needed rest. The moment they were given their rooms they had foregone about unpacking and just dropped unto the beds to get some sleep. The room they had been provided with didn't include a bed for the fifth member of their team. Understandable, neither the school nor any of them were expecting something so unorthodox to happen in the first place. But Naruto insisted he had no problem, and just laid a bedroll on the ground.

That brought to her mind the source of her current state of awareness once again, Naruto.

Soon after being placed on the same team as the others, Blake realized an important fact. Naruto was a Faunus, and Faunus had a greater sense of smell. With enough time, and given their state of closeness by sharing a room, he'd pick up there was something to her scent.

Ergo, he'd eventually find out she was a Faunus.

This put a serious dent on Blake's plans. She hid her animal traits because she wanted people not to treat her any different, to get to know the real her without any bias. Naruto finding out would lead to situations she preferred to avoid.

So, Blake found herself at an impasse. Should she tell Naruto she was a Faunus before he found out on his own? He might even understand her reasons, and by being the one that came clean about it to him she could ask him to remain quite about the subject.

But there was that part of her mind which remained in doubt, questioning if that was truly the right course of action. The logical side of her tried arguing that Naruto didn't seem like the sort of person who wouldn't honor a promise like that.

The blond fox never brought up her going to Sally with the dust wanting a new life. Hell, Naruto had been nice to her since day one. But the paranoid side of herself kept whispering her not to trust this Journeyman. Especially since the White Fang and Journeymen have crossed paths on several occasions.

Would he turn on her in if he knew? Damn it, she was going around in circles here! Ugh, oh to hell with it. Silently getting out of bed, she knelt down to a sleeping Uzumaki on his bedroll. Only to find wasn't there, so caught up in her own thoughts she hadn't noticed.

A movement at the corner of her eye, finding the darkness of the room to be no challenge to her vision, allowed her to see Naruto entering the bathroom. The Uzumaki groggily scratched his head as closed the door behind him.

She pursed her lips. Well, that'd probably a better place to have a silent conversation than in the middle of room, even if their teammates were soundly asleep.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Naruto yawned as he stretched; he squinted at the image of his reflection starting back at him, the sleepiness still clinging tightly to him. Waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom was always a pain, he'd much rather spend the entire night in peaceful slumber...

As he rubbed his eyes to clear his vision a bit, he was suddenly alarmed by the sound of the bathroom door opening. He yelped when he turned to see it was Blake, dressed in her yukata.

"Blake?" He asked with a slightly hoarse voice. "Uh, I'm about to use the bathroom in case you couldn't tell"

Blake was giving him an odd look, and to his bafflement, she stepped in and closed the door behind her, even putting on the lock!

Needless to say, that had shaken the sleepiness out of him.

"Um, Blake..." He started as the brunette silently walked up to him. "What are you-?"

"Shhh" She silenced him by placing a finger to his lips as she leant closer, one hand found itself on his chest while the other which had been used to shush him then came to rest upon his stomach. "There is something I need you tell you" She stated with utmost seriousness. Not at all bothered that she was pressing herself so close to him.

Oh gods... He had been sneaked up by Sally enough times to know where this was going...

"Uh I... Do you serious want to do that right now in the bathroom?" Naruto whispered back.

She blinked her yellow eyes before her mind caught up to what he meant as she blushed a storm. "I'm not asking for sex!" she hissed an angry whisper.

The Uzumaki looked at her dryly; "Well, in case you couldn't tell, how we are right now doesn't leave room for interpretation…"

Blake just looked at the man.

It was then that she noticed that she was indeed pressing a... tad closer to him than what should be acceptable. Specially for someone of her standards. Her hands were currently on his chest and abs, and once she became aware of that fact, she couldn't help but blush at feeling the hardness of his muscles beneath her fingertips.

She quickly pulled herself away from him as if he were on fire. But the truth was that it was actually her who was currently burning up due to the blood flowing to her cheeks. Well, Yang had been right, he was solid...

 _'Don't look at his muscles, Blake'_ she chanted to herself as she looked away. _'Don't think about how nice they felt...'_ Didn't she come here to do something?

Blake shook head before looking back to Naruto, "Look, I just want to tell you something. To you and you alone"

"...Okay" Naruto scratched one of his fox ears.

"Can you promise not to tell anyone what I am about to say?"

The blond squinted at her; "I promise. So what is it?" He really had to take a piss and go back to dreamland of swimming in ramen.

The brunette stared at him for a moment before letting out a weary sigh. There was resignation in it as well. Whatever she wanted to tell him obviously was a big deal for her, so he decided to keep quiet and let her speak.

That is until her hands went to her bow, which she easily untied in a few deft movements, revealing a pair of dark purple furred feline ears on her head.

Naruto was sure his jaw had unhinged from the rest of his head. "Y-You're a..."

"Faunus, yes" She in a soft voice.

"Why are you hiding that?" He leaned in closer to her. Least that explained the feline scent he had smelled. He just thought it was the smell from back home clinging to him still.

Blake rubbed her arm; "Because I want people to see me for me."

"By lying to them..."

The cat Faunus let out a long sigh. "Look, all my life people have seen me different because of my ears" She looked at him with a nearly pleading look. "You know what it is don't you? The humans look at you and see you as less than a person, that they call you an animal..."

Those words had touched home for him, she just didn't fully know how much. She had been spot on, but not because of the reasons she thought. "Yeah..." He said softly. "I know"

The looks, the anger and disgust behind them. To be called a monster, to be seen as something unnatural and abhorrent...

Blake, and so many Faunus, had lived through some horrible things just because they were born with a few extra traits. Because of something they had not control over, just like he had been...

These ears and tail made people think he was a Faunus. He had gotten a taste of what they went through ever since he and his mother first arrived on Remnant. He felt a bit bad for not being honest with Blake about what he truly was when here she was, baring herself before him about something that clearly wasn't easy for her.

"I want people to get to know me for who I am" She said.

"Those ears are part of who you are Blake" Naruto countered. "In the end, they're not knowing you, they're knowing someone who lies to them about who she is" She bristled at those words. He sighed. "You can't keep lying to our teammates. What? You think they'll judge you for it?" He asked rhetorically. "Yang who is perfectly okay with everyone as long as they're not assholes? Or Ruby who doesn't have a single mean bone in her body?"

"There is still Weiss" Blake pointed out. "She's the heiress to the SDC, they have a very turbulent history with Faunus and-"

"-And hasn't mentioned a single thing about my ears or tail" Naruto slowly said. "If she ever got angry with me, it's because I like being an ass and teasing her is fun"

That was true, and funny to watch Blake admitted. But she had to focus; "I will tell the others... Eventually, but please keep it quiet for now."

A throaty noise came from the blond, this was going to end bad, and he felt it.

"If you want, you can tell your mother if you're sure she'll keep quite too"

His mother? Well, if there was anyone who was more than a motor mouth than him it was her. Naruto looked at Blake and saw her looking at the ground with downcast eyes. "Alright... I'll keep your secret"

Blake looked up, a small smile forming on her lips. "Thank you..." She softly muttered as she adjusted the bow on her ears once more.

Naruto pursed his lips as he looked at her. Before she knew it, Blake found herself being surrounded by the blond's arms. "What are you doing?" She cautiously asked.

"Giving you a hug" He said as if were obvious, and it was really. "You look like you need it"

This level of physical contact made Blake very uncomfortable, her inexperience with such things made her unsure of what to do. But... she couldn't deny it also felt... nice. There was warmth to it, a comfort she wasn't really familiar with.

She didn't realize she was returning the hug until her hands found themselves over his back. She allowed herself to smile as her cheek rested against his chest. Her hands softly ran over the muscles of his back, the previous feeling of the hardness of his body having made her curious before, Blake now allowed herself to satiate that curiosity by softly tracing the lines of the various toned muscle groups while her body pressed closer to his front, enjoying the sensation of those strong muscular arms around her.

She inhaled deeply, now that she was much closer so could sample his scent much better. If she were to describe it in one word it'd be 'manly'. It was a strong scent, but it wasn't a bad one per say. There was just... something to it that made her body temperature rise, it was enticing...

Naruto for his part was having similar thoughts. Her lean and athletic frame pressing so close to him allowed his head to be over hers, granting him a better vantage point to feel the scent coming from her hair. Blake's scent was a lovely fragrance, like lilacs. She couldn't tell if that was because of a shampoo she used or if that was her natural scent. One way or another, it was bewitching.

Both soon blushed realizing how long they have taken in each other's scent. But also Naruto feeling the blood rushing to his lower regions.

They quickly pulled apart from each other and turned away. Blake felt mortified at her behavior, she always thought of herself as someone of great control, someone that wouldn't give in to such... base instincts. Her previous actions made her feel so embarrassed she had turned so Naruto wouldn't see how red her cheeks were.

Naruto for his part had turned so Blake wouldn't feel a... problem... arising, so to speak.

"So um" He scratched his head.

"Y-Yes. I em..." Without turning to look at him one last time, she went for the door and opened it. She stood there for a second, fighting her embarrassment to say; "Thank you" with as much sincere feelings of gratitude as she could. And closed the door. She went to her bed, feeling a burden having been lifted from her shoulders but now found herself frustrated for an entirely different reason.

Naruto sighed in relief. He stared at his reflection vexed before looking down at his 'problem' currently lifting a tent inside his pants. He threw his head back and groaned "Great..." How was he going to get back to sleep now?

He made sure to lock the door this time...

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

As the morning sun rose and shined through the window of Team RWBYN's room, Weiss slept peacefully. Her white hair cascaded like a sheet, making her look quite cute in this form. And apparently she was having a pleasant dream by the small smile on her lip.

Till the blare of a whistle made her screech as she flew out of her bed. "Gooooood morning team RWBYN!" The short reaper appointed as team leader announced with all the cheer and joy of the rising sun.

"What in the-?!" Weiss exclaimed from her place on the floor, utterly confused and stunned from the blow of the whistle.

"Today is our first day as an official team!" Ruby proudly exclaimed.

Weiss rubbed her eyes, when she opened them again; he found her teammates to be in full uniform.

"And so, we have many important things to do first as a team!"

Naruto chuckled at Ruby's enthusiasm and energy. His fox tailed lazily swayed about; "So what is our first assignment captain?"

"Bed arrangement!"

Blake blinked at that; "And Naruto needs a bed." The blond fox was about to speak till his mouth was covered by the raven haired girl's hand. "You might not mind it, but we do."

"There's not enough room for a fifth bed" Naruto points out. Making the ravenette hum in thought. "Hmm, think I have a hammock somewhere stored with my things"

"This room is neither a beach nor a pool" Weiss tiredly says. "Plus, it'd be terrible for your back"

"Says you," Naruto snorted. "I have a relaxing sleep in a hammock."

Weiss just rolled her eyes while Yang smirked; "Well, whiskers could always share my bed."

"Won't that be uncomfortable?" Ruby innocently asked.

"We can cuddle" Yang winked at Naruto

"Oh like we used when little"

"Yep," Yang pats her little sister's head. While the older teens just blushed a storm. And Naruto really got the feeling Yang is the wandering hands type.

 _'Does that girl have any shame_?' the heiress mental screeched. She glanced to the clock; "Uh how about we reach our class before being late as our first assignment as a team." She pointed to the wall clock.

Ruby looked distraught. "B-B-But we're supposed to decorate our room first! Our first activity as a team should be bonding!"

"We can decorate later" The heiress completely disregarded her, grabbing her uniform and going to the bathroom. "I'm going to change"

Naruto looked at the clock. "Wanna grab a bite before going to class?"

The Faunus in disguise and the lilac eyed blonde shared a look and shrugged. "Sure" They followed him out of the room, leaving Ruby as the only current occupant, with the exception of the heiress who was in the bathroom.

"...This is mutiny!"

The door opened again as Ruby squeaked as Naruto's tail wrapped around her waist and took her out of the room. "That tail is really strong..." Blake said absently.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

 _'Why the hell did I agree to this_?' Naruto mentally drawls as they listen to professor Port explained Grimm. And old hunting stories of his younger days. _'And is half of what he is saying truth or pure bullshit?_ '

He'd rather be listening to Grey, now that old man had some really cool stories even if most of the time he tried to pass them off as boring or nothing. Boring his ass, that man had seen more action than veteran huntsmen had in their entire careers.

Honestly, he was all up for working together with the kingdom, but he was starting to regret that part of the deal involved him taking classes. Oh he couldn't wait to get assignments again. Missions out in the wilds, especially dangerous missions where there was a chance that you wouldn't come back, were preferable to Port's stories...

"-And that is how I domesticated the eagles to send messages!" He finished dramatically.

...How the hell did the story end up with that?

Shifting his cerulean orbs, the blond Uzumaki saw quite a bit of his fellow classmates were dying of boredom as well. Jaune was asleep beside Pyrrha who looked like she was trying to pay attention, but he could tell she was dozing off.

Ruby for her part was at least creative with passing the time by drawing. Weiss... That girl was focused on Port writing down everything, while also getting annoyed with their leader's antics.

"Mr. Uzumaki," the blond's fox ears perked up as he looked to the professor. "Being how you are an experienced Journeyman, with vast knowledge of the wild lands. How does your organization handle Grimm?"

"We kill them" He bluntly replied, much to the amusement of some of the classmates.

"Mhm, well there is the saying 'The only good Grimm is a dead Grimm'. But what I meant to say is; what tactics do the Journeymen use?"

"Depends on what works at the time" He shrugged. "Bullets, blades, explosives, fire. As long as it kill Grimm it's useful. "I actually got a bit creative with a metal pen once," Naruto froze for minute as thought for a second. "Wait... That was a warlord I stabbed to death, never mind..."

Eyes slowly panned his way as he glared back; "I had to pose as slave to get inside a warlord's entire network. And when I got close enough to this scumbag all I had in my hand was a pen... I didn't miss."

"Creative" Port, to the surprise of the students, didn't seem at all perturbed by the blonde's blatant words involving slavery and death. Only a few students didn't appear disturbed by them either. "Yes, improvising can is the difference between life and death"

Yang immediately remembered Kushina killing someone, and pushed back that memory.

The professor paced before his desk. "Indeed, the territories outside the kingdoms vary in danger. Some wilderness are only inhabited by less numerous Grimm at the time, smaller countries and most villages are relatively peaceful if more vulnerable to the threat of Grimm. The wilds on the other hand, they are called that because they are independent territories with no authority, no law enforcement, Grimm is more numerous and bandits who prey upon the defenseless often act unopposed"

"And that is where my group, Journeymen comes in. Not the easiest of jobs, but love every minute of it," Naruto smiled.

Port nodded; "And they have done good work keeping territories safe. As well as the Brotherhood of Light."

A long and loud annoyed grumble came from the Uzumaki.

"Oho yes" The professor gave a short amused laugh. "I know our armor-clad friends can be a... touch difficult to deal with, but trust me when I say there are more stubborn and unreasonable chapters out there"

"Are they that bad?" Yang whispered, leaning towards Naruto.

"They have a massive 'holier-than-thou' complex and sensitive egos, what do you think?" He whispered back.

Port cleared his throat; "Now back to our subject on Grimm. Would anyone like to show their talents against a beast of Grimm?"

The professor walked towards a rectangular object covered by a blanket. Pulling the fabric in one swift motion, Port revealed a large metallic cage. It was trembling, and inside was heard the angry groans of a creature of Grimm, two hateful red eyes were seen from between the bars.

"Hoho, scrappy fellow isn't he?" He laughed as he patted the cage without concern. "Now, who would like to test their mettle?" He asked once more.

 _'A Boarbatusk_...' Naruto narrowed his eyes; _'Tenacious as hell and a pain in the ass_.'

Before a few students could lift their hand, Weiss being the first, Naruto had leaped over his seat and landed on the feet first on the floor; "Why the hell not'" He smirked. _'Anything to stop hearing that man from going on and on about his glory days'_

"That's the spirit!" The large bellied man pulled out a mix of a blunderbuss and an axe. Now, Naruto didn't know much about firearms, but the blades on the handle must make it very difficult to aim.

"Go Whiskers!" Yang cheered.

"Fight well!" Blake was waving around a small flag which the initials 'RWBYN' in it. Where did she get that from?

"Represent team RWBYN!" Ruby exclaimed excitedly.

Weiss just remained quiet and gave her 'team leader' an exasperated look. She still couldn't believe someone as inexperienced as her was appointed as their leader.

"You can go retrieve your gear..." The professor stopped mid-sentence as two kunai came out of the blond's sleeves and into his hands.

The young Journeyman gave a blank look; "I never go anywhere without a kunai... Or two."

Port actually nodded approvingly; "Always be prepared. Any situation can turn dangerous, no matter where you are."

Naruto looked to his fellow students; "Do write that one down guys and gals. Hell, tattoo it if you have to. Naruto Uzumaki Rule 1: 'Always be prepared.'"

"Really? All this time I thought I should be unprepared!" The sarcasm in Yang's voice was almost palatable. "Great advice Whiskers! Just top-notch!"

The blond Uzumaki looked at her dryly before twirling his kunai in his hands going into a stance. Oh he was going to prank Yang for that one. "Let's go teach."

"Well, let's..." Port hefts his axe and with a mighty swing he brought it down upon the lock. "Begin!"

The boarbatusk wasted no time, the moment it was free the tusked beast charged forward towards the Uzumaki. Naruto smirked and easily sidestepped out of the way. The boarbatusk halted to a stop, its hooves skidded over the floor as it twirled to face the blonde again.

"You can do it Naruto!" Ruby cheered. Weiss bit back a groan; if she was meant to be their leader she should at least be offering sound tactical advice.

The beast huffed and stomped its front hoof, shaking its head and blowing hot breath from its nostrils. Giving a small jump, the beast curled over its belly and began spinning with blurring speed. Naruto clicked his tongue, he always found it odd creatures like these would use moves like that.

As soon as the beast charged, Naruto sprinted towards it; he quickly jumped above it to avoid getting hit by its spinning attack. He twirled on the area and nimbly landed on the ground.

"It's belly side!" Ruby shouted. "It has no armor!"

Weiss face palmed. When she meant sound tactical advice she meant something that wasn't common knowledge to experienced fighters, especially someone who had years of experience in the wilds like Naruto. She should be offering him an actual strategy...

Naruto reached into a pouch on his back and pulled out a rope, quickly, he tied it through the hole in the kunai's handle. Once he made sure it was made into a tight knot, he spun the rope on his hand and charged. The boarbatusk took a stance and prepared to charge.

The Uzumaki threw the kunai; the rope spun over one of the tusks until, tying itself around it. The boarbatusk let out a guttural roar and charged; one more Naruto jumped above it, but pulled the rope with all his strength. The boarbatusk found itself being flung over its back by the pull of the rope, exposing its vulnerable belly.

Naruto wasted no time; he pulled out another kunai and descended upon the creature, burying the blade as deep as possible. The boarbatusk struggled, letting out chilling wails of pain before becoming completely still. Dark smoke began escaping from its wound and soon by other parts of its body, indicating it was dead.

As the beast fully turned to nothing and vanished, Naruto's kunai hit the floor and the rope went slack. Silently the blond Uzumaki came over and retrieved his items; "excellent form mister Uzumaki," the professor said smiling.

"Just following my captain's orders," Naruto gave the small reaper a thumbs up which made her smile.

Weiss rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

The first year students walked through one of the many hallways, following after Professor Goodwitch for a tour and lecture on the various facilities and devices available to them. So far she had shown them the forge, where students would work on their weapons, training grounds, various sports installations and other rooms for the students to cook their own meals, as well as rooms designed solely for recreation.

"What I'm about to show you now is something... different. Something that many people in the world don't fully understand yet" They reached the end of the hallway, arriving before a large set of steel doors. A control panel was placed in the wall next to it. Goodwitch tapped the password. "But can be the difference between success and failure on a mission, as well as life and death"

The whirling of hydraulics and shifting gears was heard. Slowly, the steel doors opened, revealing some sort of storage room.

Glynda beckoned the students to follow after her. Inside they saw various shelves and pedestals holding various glowing crystals of different shapes and colors.

"Here, we store one of the rarest and most useful tools in a Huntsman's career" She stated before her class.

"Dust?" Jaune mused as he looked around. That was hardly a rare tool...

"No" Glynda patiently said as she adjusted her glasses. "Elementals"

"You have some!" Everyone shifted their gaze to Naruto who looked surprised. "Those aren't easy to come by."

Glynda adjusted her glasses; "No they are not."

"What are you two talking about?" A student asked.

"An excellent question," They turned and saw Ozpin who spooked a few students as he seemingly appeared behind them.

The headmaster walked into the storage room, his cane tapping the floor with each step, for once his ever present coffee mug missing from his hands. "Elementals have existed as long as the discovery of Dust itself" The silver haired man walked passed the students. "Magnificent beings they are" He smiled fondly at blue crystal in a shelf. "Their true nature is shrouded in myth and stories, even science don't have a clear answer when trying to explain exactly _what_ they are. You have certainly heard about the Elementals, but by another name most likely, the most common one used for them being-"

"Summons..." It was Weiss who finished for him. Her voice and expression nearly unreadable.

"Very good Miss Schnee," Ozpin nodded. "And as Mister Uzumaki stated, they are indeed not easy to come by. To gain an elemental one must earn it."

"Elementals are not easy beings to command. One needs time and practice to conjure them" The headmaster took a hold of the blue crystal he had been previously observing. "Making them, that's another thing altogether. Often caster type semblances can be trained to the point the summon of Elementals becomes possible, the rest must train to be able to use them"

The headmaster held the crystal on his hand with waved the top of his cane before it. The crystal began shining with greater intensity, and suddenly there was a flash of light, making the students shield their eyes from glare. When they looked back, they gawked.

On Ozpin's palm was no longer a crystal, but an eagle-like creature rested upon his arm. It was blue, made from a nearly transparent substance; glowing marks adorned its body. Its beak had a mask-like shape to it, somewhat reminiscing of the Grimms'. The being was not a common existence, of that there was no doubt.

"This is Vale, a good and loyal friend," Ozpin smiled faintly.

"You're summoning…" Pyrrha spoke.

"Correct. But there many others out there in the world. And some act upon their own will. I am certain Mister Uzumaki has seen one?"

"Not yet. But Grey told me once when he saw a giant armored man riding an eight legged horse," Naruto saw a reaction from the blond professor while the headmaster remained unreadable. "You heard of him?"

"Indeed I have… he is known by many names," Ozpin said quietly. "The few reports we have said he laid waste to hundreds if not thousands of Grimm in his path" He paused, seeing the bewildered look on the students' faces. "But that is a story for another time"

He continued his explanation. "Common, Elder, Ancient, Legendary, they are given the same terminology we use to classify Grimm according to their age and power" The blue eagle on his arm made a soft sound. "Vale here is an Elemental of wind and water"

"What are they?" Yang asked in wonder at the notion of such beings.

"More scientific minds believe the Elementals to be pure nature power harnessed into physical form, and given some semblance of thought and consciousness by their summoners who gather energy from the world to create them and store them into crystal" The Headmaster explained as he rubbed the eagle's beak. "More traditional and spiritual folk believe the Elementals to be that, spirits"

"Spirits?" Weiss repeated with incredulity. Someone out there actually believed that notion?

"Oh indeed" The silver haired man replied with amusement in his voice. "Like Grimm, there are instances of Elementals having lived for hundreds upon hundreds of years. Many cultures across Remnant hold Elementals as guardian spirits of nature, enemies of the creatures of Grimm" The headmaster paused for a second. "Some tell legends of the oldest and most powerful Elementals to be shards"

"Shards?" Ren questioned. "Shards of what?"

"Legendary beings and creatures, angels, demons... gods"

"That's just nonsense;" Weiss spoke up. "There is always a scientific reason for everything."

Naruto only looked at the heiress; _'Oh honey you have a lot to learn._ '

The headmaster only chuckled at her words. "Many are the mysteries of the world Miss Schnee. Remnant is filled with old legends, and no matter how outlandish some may be, they possess some truth in them" He looked at her with a look only a patient teacher could give. "Your career will take you to strange places, and you will all see things that defy reason" He scratched Vale's beak. "One thing you must remember it's a fact, is that Elementals are living beings as well. Though..." Ozpin sighed. "Sadly, because of their malleable nature, some of them can fall under the corruption of the Grimm..."

Naruto nodded; "Grey said that too. They became monsters; some are even more terrifying than Grimm. Standing orders are that we leave them alone unless we have zero choice. We lost a group who encountered a corrupted elemental... We did not even find their bodies..."

"How can the Grimm do that?" One of the students wondered with apprehension.

"The Grimm essence is corruptible" Glynda explained. "Elementals exposed to their taint for prolonged periods of time become Grimm too"

Naruto looked to his fellow students; "So take to the heart, besides the worst of humanity/faunus and Grimm out in the wilds. There are these guys, which are essentially Grimm. Please watch your asses out there."

"Indeed," Ozpin nodded as his blue companion did the same, surprisingly.

"Elementals can be requested by teams to take on missions" Glynda explained. "They require someone with the proper knowledge and skill for summoning, a caster-type semblance is not required, but it does help"

Weiss clenched and unclenched her hands. Summons... the one technique of her lineage she hadn't grasped yet. No matter how much she tried she could never conjure a single Elemental, not even a tiny formless entity in the shape of a spot of light... She would prove she didn't need to request already stored Elementals; she'd master her heritage and call forth mighty creatures at her command.

She was a Schnee after all.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Standing in a large class room which had floor mat, the first year students stare at a redheaded fox woman who sat on top of her desk, wearing Anbu pants and T-shirt with no shoes or sandals. "Welcome, I am your new teacher Kushina Uzumaki. And yes, my son is right there." Her fox tail pointing to Naruto's direction.

 _'To every god up there who can hear me'_ Naruto silently prayed _. 'Legba, Samedi, Amaterasu, Vishnu, anyone, please, just... just please don't let this be embarrassing...'_

"The school hired me to be your hand-to-hand professor!" She snorted a laugh. "Man, I don't know what they were on when they thought I could be an adult responsible enough to teach a bunch of children"

Silence.

Realizing her mistake, she quickly added. "B-But I totally promise my classes will work!"

 _'Oh hell..._ ' Naruto rubbed his eyes while Yang quietly snickered beside her fellow blond.

"Now" She hopped down from her desk. "My classes will mostly involve some physical training, measure what type of style would suit you best for hand to hand, as well as help you improve and expand upon it. Any questions?"

"Yeah" A boy with blue eyes and long combed back, dark blue hair, which Naruto and his team identified as Sky Lark, a member of team CRDL, raised his hand. "Is it really necessary? We trained for years with our weapons"

"Sky Lark right," Kushina got a nod as she soon motioned for him to come over as she stood on the mat. Sky came over and stood in front of her; "Hit me."

Quite a few students looked at her as if she was crazy. Naruto only shook his head; _'Please don't break his arm...'_

Obviously the blue haired teen was apprehensive; "Excuse me professor?"

"Sensei please," Kushina correct as she only smiled; "Throw a punch and try to hit me."

Sky looked back at his teammates for clarification on what to do, but all he got were blank stares and shrugs. Sighing, he looked back at the smiling redhead. Rearing back his arm and threw a punch with all his strength.

Kushina easily caught in on her palm, and proceeded to knock away his balance by kicking at his legs and flipping Sky over his shoulder. The students winced when he landed painfully on the floor.

"That's why" She finally answered his previous question.

"There may come a time when you either cannot use your weapon, or it was lost or stolen. Or any scenario that involves you only having to rely on your fists," She eyed every student. "This is what my class if for. To make your body a weapon and defend yourselves."

Sky only made a low whining sound.

"Now who among you knows hand to hand combat?"

Around ten students raised their hands, among them was Pyrrha, Blake, Ren, Naruto and of course Yang.

"Okay..." Kushina slowly said with the disappointment in her voice apparent. "Was actually expecting more of you truthfully. But," the redheaded fox woman lifted a finger; "at least here I can help those of you who do not have a hand to hand combat style can find one that fits you. And those who already know, we can improve on what you have. Make it more creative. As I told my son, you're never too old to keep learning dattebane."

"Oh she has a catchphrase too" Blake muttered to herself.

"So!" Kushina grasped her hands together. "Here's what I'm gonna do for that in my classes; I'll be hurting you"

Jaune paled slightly; "How much?" he asked meekly.

"Ask my son," Kushina smiled.

Everyone turned to Naruto; "Welcome to hell..."

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Their next class wasn't in a classroom at all, it was a large gymnasium filled with all sorts of gym equipment, machines, and other varied instruments for different activities. Beacon's gym was filled with top of the line and state of the art gear designed to bring out maximum efficiency for any training regime.

They were standing in two lines; a person was slowly walking in between them. It was the wolf Faunus woman from the day of the exam who had woken them up with Kushina. She walked with a straight posture and her hands folded behind her back.

Now that they had a closer looked they saw the woman was wearing something of a military themed outfit. A green tank-top with baggy cargo pants and military boots. Her long black hair was tied on a ponytail with two large bangs over her forehead falling to the sides of her face, two wolf ears stood up from her head.

Her eyes were a bright green; they had a predatory look to them. The woman exhumed an aura of authority and might. They also noticed she was massive, like, scarily so. Not only was she tall, but her figure was broad and highly muscular, she looked like the kind of woman who lifted heavy weights 24/7...

"I" She started with a strong voice. "Am Colonel Michelle Schwarzerwolf, former Vale Military, 22nd Frontier Regiment. And my job here is to make you worms actually survive out there on the field"

"In my class you will go through an intense regiment that is both physical and mental." She walked meticulously with each step; "These exercises will build up your strength, stamina, speed, and agility. Because you need all of those at max potential. If only one weakness is discovered, either a Grimm will kill you, or a raider will."

"And I" She sniffed the air. "Have a knack" She turned to one of the students and sniffed. "To smell weakness..." She looked down at Jaune, looming over him.

He gulped.

"What is your name maggot?" She did not ask, she demanded.

"J-Jaune Arc ma'am..." He meekly said.

"I must have something in my ear because I did not hear you say your name, all I heard was a whining puppy" She snarled. "Now tell me your name!"

"Jaune Arc ma'am!"

"Do you think you've got what it takes Arc!"

"Yes!"

"Wrong answer!" She shouted, lowering herself to face him directly.

"Then... no!"

"What do you mean 'no'?!" She grabbed his clothes with one hand and easily lifted him from the ground, much to the other's astonishment. Those muscles weren't for show... "You dare come here when you yourself think you're not ready?!"

"I don't know what you want from me!" Jaune cried in a shrill voice.

"Well, don't you sing like a majestic fucking eagle!"

She dropped the poor lad on the ground; "Listen up maggots! By the time I am done with you will be begging the devil himself for mercy and find him laughing in your face!"

"How is that motivational?" Jaune cried.

Once more the wolf Faunus was all up on his face.

"It. Is. Not"

 _'Great, just like that wacko from HQ,'_ Naruto mentally mused but kept a straight face. But a lot scarier since this woman was walking tower of muscle.

"And what do we have here?" Said great wolf found a new pray, she loomed over Weiss.

"Uhhh..." The heiress didn't know how to respond to the large woman.

"A dainty princess who most likely doesn't know what a pushup is"

"Hey!"

"Oh, am I wrong," Michelle gave stern look. "Can the princess actually pull something like a pushup without breaking a nail?"

That got Weiss angry. "How dare-!"

"I ain't having some spoiled brat talk back to me!" Michelle roared with fury. "I've been on more missions than you could possibly count and fought on places which names you've never heard of! So until you shape up into a warrior you have no right to defend yourself! To the ground and give me one hundred!"

Weiss couldn't drop any faster and immediately began pushing up and down from the floor. Yang couldn't suppress her snort.

"What's so funny?" The military woman demanded.

"That" Yang said with mirth, pointing at the heiress.

Michelle gave her a look over. They were all currently wearing their gym clothes, so that allowed her to get a better look at the students' physical state. "You've good muscle tone in your arms. Brawler?" She guessed.

"Don't know anything else" Yang replied with a smile.

Michelle nodded in approval. "I like you. You give me 500"

"Cool" Yang said before dropping to the ground.

The colonel came over to Naruto; "Journeyman... Name the worst hell you ever experienced in the wilds."

Cerulean slowly stared directly into green; "The horde..."

"Hmph" Recognition flashed in her eyes. "Yeah... I know what that's like" The smell of fires, the sound of combat, the roars of an unending number of beasts... "Think you can make a difference here?"

"I can try" Naruto honestly replied.

"I damn sure expect results. Give me a 1000"

"Yes colonel," Naruto dropped without missing a beat.

"Hey why does he get more?" Yang complained as she continued her set.

"Fine, you get 1200" The military woman rolled her eyes before barking at the rest of the class. "The rest of you, on the ground now! And don't stop until I say so!"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

"You just had to say something to that woman didn't you," Weiss glared as she and quite a few of the first years rest themselves in the quad.

The courtyard was aesthetically pleasant, located in the middle of one of the campus streets. It had large patches of grass and various trees, along with flowered bushes. Rows of stone seats were placed in circle some feet away from a small fountain. It was a nice quite spot for various students to hang out and rest.

"My arms..." Jaune whined as he let his limbs dangle forward.

"I think that was a great workout" Yang smiled widely.

"Of course you'd think that" Weiss grumbled.

"I agree with her actually" Pyrrha said, trying to remain positive. "It was a very... invigorating training session" Though even that rhythm was one she wasn't used to...

Ruby rubbed her sore arms. "What kind of woman is she..?" Professor Schwarzerwolf was just... insane.

"Michelle Schwarzerwolf" Blake repeated the name of their teacher as she browsed through her scroll. "Years of service with the Vale military, tons of commemorations" She frowned as she read on. "And she apparently is the winner of multiple strength and fitness competitions, weightlifting, boxing, wrestling, bodybuilding..." Her eyes slowly widen. "She's even won the race through Frostback Mountains..."

That got a few looks from the few conscious first years looked wide eyed. Naruto whistled; "Heard not many can pull that off." Much like Yang and Pyrrha, he wasn't that bothered by the woman's workout.

"Whoa..." Nora said, lying with her back on the grass.

"What in blazes is she..?" Weiss incredulously muttered. "Some super-soldier project or something? That woman must chew steroids for breakfast..."

Blake kept reading her scroll; "Just hard work and dedicated training. She joined Beacon because she wanted future generations to be able to protect themselves, their family, and kingdom."

"Has a funny way of showing it..." Jaune mumbled to himself.

"She's a military woman" Naruto said. "What did you expect?" Though honestly, his own history and his years in the wilds with the Journeymen may have painted a certain idea on his mind when it came to 'military' and how they were supposed to act. Ninja of Konoha may be a military force though they weren't exactly 'formal', neither were the Journeymen for that matter. The woman was demanding, but seemed to want to push them so they could reach new heights.

"She wants to help us; and physical training should be a part of that. And by her looks, she knows what she is doing." Naruto finished.

"Resting?" Kushina said as she walked over to them. She leans over at her son who looked up at her.

"That woman was a nightmare," a first year mumbled.

The redhead waved it off; "Michelle is a good lady. But we have company coming."

"Who," her son asked.

"Grey."

That made everyone pause. "W-What?" Ruby squeaked. "G-Grey Wilhelm is coming here?"

"Yeah" Kushina nodded, "He should be getting here right about now" Her ears perked when she suddenly heard a familiar sound. "There he comes" She smiles as she stares down the street.

The sound of hoofs made both RWBYN and JNPR stand to their feet, as the legend himself as making his way. "Uh," Jaune blinked; "how'd he get here on horseback?"

"Well the forest is right next to Beacon and after that the wilds so..." Nobody paid any attention to what Naruto was saying.

Students stopped what they were doing as the saw the man riding down the street on a white horse. He was the very definition of 'cowboy', a typical hat, a long tanned coat, a blue shirt with tassels on the chest and flower designs. Dark jeans and black cowboy boots. On his waist were two holsters with large revolvers.

Grey's hair came down from his hat; he possessed a large thick mustache on his upper lip. His skin was tanned and wrinkly, and his steely grey eyes showed calm yet hid a great strength of will behind them.

The students whispered among themselves, many pointing his way as he rode. Few were the people who had not heard about the leader of the militia on the wilds close to Vale. Tales of his exploits were simply legendary.

RWBYN and JNPR watched with wide eyes at the imposing figure. Ruby was close to hyperventilate; here was Grey Wilhelm, in the flesh! Oh there were so many things she wanted to ask him. Maybe she could get his autograph. Weiss stared with an analytical look, 'The world's strongest man'... she wondered how true those overblown stories.

As the sun was setting a few students plus RWBYN and JNPR swore they could hear western style music playing seemingly out of nowhere. _'The ecstasy of gold by Ennio Morricone_ ,' Pyrrha mentally mused.

Ren's pink eyes gazed around; "Where is that music coming from?"

"No one really knows," Naruto said smirking; "Grey is just 'THAT' bad ass that the divine muses themselves play a course for him." No one really noticed Kushina covering her mouth trying not to giggle.

As Grey's horse came close, they heard the general sigh; "Naruto will you knock it off and dispel those clones! You too Kushina!"

Both mother and son soon whined out loud waving their arms; "OH COME ON!" Naruto slouched forward; "It's the perfect setup and the sun was setting just right to man!"

"Shut it" Grey said with finality.

Naruto and Kushina sighed before signaling a few clones over a roof with a music player to cut it out. The clones sighed in disappointment as well and dispelled.

"One thing I'm not missing is your shenanigans" The gunslinger said gruffly as he dismounted his horse. Patting the steed softly on the neck, he walked towards the group.

"I'm sure that doesn't stop the craziness" Naruto points out.

Grey grunts. "Wish that wasn't true..." He turned his gaze to the young students that were with his subordinates. "Howdy" He gave them a curt nod, tipping his hat with his gloved hand.

Ruby made a long wheezing sound, almost like she was choking, but no words came out.

"It's an honor mister Wilhelm" Pyrrha smiled and nodded. "My name is Pyrrha. We've heard so much about you"

Ruby continued making that sound.

"You're that Spartan girl Nikos right." He got a nod; "Well I finally have a good description other than Naruto's 'she's a freaking hottie' comment."

That made the young redhead blush while Naruto only glared at the general. Grey only grinned back at him; "Bet that burns your furry tailed ass doesn't it?"

"I will get you back for that."

Kushina laughed at her son's expense. "Let me introduce you. These are Pyrrha's teammates, Jaune, Nora and Ren. And the girls here are Naruto's teammates, Ruby, Yang, Blake and Weiss" They nodded in greeting as they were introduced.

"Weiss Schnee huh?" The general mused.

"That is correct sir" Weiss made a short respectful bow.

"Yeah, I can see a lot of Jacques in you"

That comment threw the heiress off guard for a moment. "You... know me father?" Grey grunted in response and nodded. "He never mentioned you. Are you two... friends?"

The Journeyman leader actually gave a short laugh. "When hell freezes over"

"O-Oh..." Was all Weiss could say. "I-I see..."

Blake felt a small amount satisfaction seeing her face like that.

The general turned his attention to the rest of the Hunters in training."Understand something kiddos, anyone could have the best training in the world. Even if you were trained since you could walk and be prepared for anything. It does not mean a pile of horseshit when you're actually out in the field, especially in the wildlands."

Weiss bit back a wince at the... colorful choice of words. She wasn't used to people swearing so easily, not from the place she came from. But she supposed that with Naruto and Yang around, she'd have to get used to it.

"Ruby here is a big fan of you" Yang cheerfully said, placing her hands on her little sister's shoulders.

Grey smiled at her, "Pleasure" He said with a tip of his hat.

Ruby, once more, only replied with a long wheeze.

Kushina waved a hand in front of the little reapers, she soon snapped her fingers; "Uh sweetie?"

That seemed to snap Ruby out of it as she nearly danced around everyone at light speed. "OHMYGOSHIT'SGREYWHILHEM! I'VEBEENAFANSINCEICOULDREMEBER!" Rose petals literally covered the area till Ruby seemed to stop in mid-air as Grey held her by the back of the collar.

"So you and I have the same Semblance. Now that is interesting. It's nice to meet ya kiddo."

Ruby blushed; "Nice to meet you to sir." The small reaper soon blinked in confusion. "Uh, excuse me," She raises a finger. "Did you say we have the same Semblance?"

"Well, my doesn't make these petal things" He muses seeing the ground around them littered with tons of rose petals. "But it seems so; my Semblance is speed as well"

Silver eyes slowly widen to the point they seemed to bulge out of her head. Her hands go to her mouth as she takes a long sharp intake of air.

"Uh" Grey looked at her worriedly. "Is she gonna be okay?"

Yang waved it off. "Give her a minute"

The long wheezing continued until she finally asked in a very meek and humbled voice. "Can I have your autograph?"

Kushina only snorted while Naruto chuckled as Grey shrugged. But instead of pulling out a pen. He pulled out a necklace. He knelt down in front of Ruby; "How about this instead?"

Her silver eyes gazed at small strange looking crystal tied onto a string; "What's this?"

"Just a good luck charm. Had it when I was your age," Grey handed it over. "Naruto said you wanted to be a huntress to help people. Is that right?"

Ruby nodded her head so fast they thought her neck would snap; "Like my mom, she was a huntress."

"Summer Rose," both Yang and Ruby look wide eyed.

"You knew our mom!"

"Knew her?" He repeated with humorously as a smile formed on his lips. "She and her team got in all sorts of trouble in the wilds back in the day. Oh the shenanigans I could tell you" Grey chuckled fondly at the memories. "I recognized you two the moment I laid eyes on you, you two are the spitting image of your parents"

Yang looked at him bewildered. "Dad never told us any of that..."

"Oh your old man doesn't like to brag"

"That is a complete lie" The brawler deadpanned.

Grey actually laughed at that. "He hasn't changed a bit then, has he?" He chuckled a bit more. "But honestly, your folks often helped the people in the wilds. Damn fine people, proud to have counted for their help on many occasions" he gently placed the necklace on Ruby's hands, who looked at it like it was some sort of rare treasure. "Never had the chance to give them one of this myself..." He let out a long breath through his nose. "When I heard about her passing it felt like the world lost a bit of its shine" He pursed his lips as he grey eyes shifted for a moment before once more settling on the girls. "Summer was a great woman"

"T-Thank you..." Ruby muttered with heartfelt gratitude, feeling touched by how much respect this legendary man held by their late mother.

"Ah, there you are," Everyone's gaze shifted to Ozpin and Glynda was they made their way over. "This would be your first time coming to beacon yes?"

The wizened general snorted; "Been kinda busy from the other side of the fence. Amazed the place is still standing with these two here." Grey thumbed over to the mother and son Uzumaki duo.

"Kiss my ass, Grey," both said dryly.

Goodwitch adjust her glasses. "After getting to know them a bit, I'm starting to suspect our arrangement was solely for you to get rid of them"

"What?" Grey exclaimed in a fake unbelieving voice. "Noooo. Get out"

The professor rolled her eyes and made a disgusted noise.

"Feeling the love..." Kushina quipped sarcastically.

Naruto let out a fake whine; "And here I had planned out how I was going to propose to Kat. Had all the details ready," the blond said in the driest tone possible.

"And would have shot your dick off for even trying," Grey spoke back.

Kushina gave a fully fake smiled; "And this is the Journeymen ladies and gentlemen. Full of warm kindhearted people who are full of sunshine and rainbows."

"Sound like a cheery bunch" Ren noted. By his tone it was actually difficult to tell if he was being sarcastic or not.

The headmaster cleaned his throat. "Well now, Grey" Ozpin looked at the general. "Shall we discuss our plan?"

The seasoned cowboy gave a curt nod. "Yeah" He said. "Yeah, think it's time we do" He casts a quick glance at the teams of youngsters before giving a questioning look at the headmaster.

Understanding the meaning behind that look, Ozpin gave him a nod that told Grey all he needed to know. "Team RWBYN and JNPR" He addressed the teams. "Would you please accompany us at my office us?"

That actually got the young Huntsmen in training to pause and look at each other in confusion, even Naruto. The blonde was wondering why Grey and the headmaster wanted the teams with them while the two would discuss their deal.

Perhaps..? No, Grey and Ozpin's plan couldn't be that... Could it?

"Um... Of course headmaster" Pyrrha said with hesitation on her voice. "But why do you require our presence?"

"In due time, Miss Nikos" The silver haired man said with a reassuring smile. "Now, come along please"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

As everyone made their up to the headmaster's office. The walk was mostly quiet save from Nora who was humming while she skipped through the hall... Yeah...

Going up the elevator, the doors open revealing a massive room with see through glass floor that showed clock gears moving. The two articles of furniture were a desk and chair. Walking over, Ozpin takes a seat; "Now shall we begin?"

Naruto spoke first; "Are you actually suggesting that..."

"Ah, indeed Mr. Uzumaki," Ozpin nodded.

A hundred questions ran over Naruto's head. They all came so fast he barely had time to process them, his mouth opened and clothed a few times but no sound came out. Finally, he settled on one question. "Why us?" Why his teammates and friends, more specifically.

The others didn't understand what they were talking about.

"Because you all show damn good promise" Grey said as he leant against one of the pillars in Ozpin's office. "Ozpin here showed me the recordings of your test, taking down a giant Deathstalker and a giant Nevermore is not easy. But you nine took them down with outstanding prowess and efficiency"

Ruby blushed at the praise. "Pfft, it was nothing..."

"More than that" Grey continued. "The way you all cooperated, it was like you have been fighting together for years when you had only just met... That kind of unit cohesion is simply amazing"

The young teens gave a smile from the praise, save for Naruto and Kushina. With both having the experience and living in the wild lands. That place was no simple stroll through the proverbial park. Grimm was always dangerous, but when you have to face another human being/Faunus fully intended on wanting to harm and kill you or worse.

Could any of these guys be able to another person's life? This was why Cerulean and velvet were locked on intently at Ruby.

And the gazes did not go unnoticed; "Which is why when Naruto and Kushina go out on mission I have for them," Grey spoke. "You guys are coming along."

Immediately, shock became apparent on the students faces. "Wait what?" Nora blurted as she raised a pair of confused eyebrows.

"Y-You want us to go to the wilds?" Jaune stammered.

Pyrrha looked at them wide eyed. "But we're still months away from being assigned missions"

"What about our classes and studies?" Weiss questioned, she didn't understand anything that was going on.

"Perhaps" Ozpin interjected as he looked at the general of the Journeymen. "It'd be best to explain to them what our arrangement is"

"Basically," Grey spoke as he pulled out a small canteen; "We need aid out in wilds. Now before someone says just move to kingdom, not everyone wants to be ruled. Sure your safe thanks to the walls and military but you also have to abide by the rules of that Kingdom you live in. some people are not built for that." he opened the top and took a swig.

"But the wilds are dangerous," Jaune brought up.

Grey nodded; "Damn right they are, but we have no formal government controlling everything. And for the people who choose the Wilds, you are your own boss. But not everyone can fight; however for a group like the Journeymen, we have one major issue in protecting people. Can you tell me what is it?" He eyed all the young teens.

"You can't be everywhere" Pyrrha points out.

"Exactly" Grey nods. "Our militia is spread enough, but we can't keep a constant patrol or perimeters in many regions. And the bandit raids and Grimm attacks only make the situation more difficult" He huffs. "We tried, in the past, to get people to cooperate more with those who have the resources to help, either independent villages and cities or other private organizations for food, water, Dust. But even then it's tough"

"Why do some people not want to be part of the kingdoms?" Weiss questions, the whole notion was off to her. "They could provide for what people in the wilds need"

"Like I said, it means abiding by the rules of the kingdoms, and there's only so much the kingdom military can provide for defense. Some people are afraid a kingdom would eventually relocate them to another territory just to mine Dust, it's not the first time it's happened"

Ozpin nodded; "Our arrangement will help the Journeymen with the necessities they need to help keep the settlements outside of Vale safe."

"Okay," Yang rubbed the back of her neck; "That will help the folks. But how does this work for the kingdom?" She never much cared for politics; those were for the people in fancy suits.

"Resources Miss Long," the headmaster said looking her way.

"Vale's territories have the fortune of being located on a relatively stable and resources rich environment" Ozpin continued. "And while farmlands are located within the protection of the capital, as well as on other wild territories under our control, it is much more difficult for the gathering of other much need resources, namely Dust, to be procured outside kingdom territory"

"The military does what it can" Goodwitch took over. "But between bandits and Grimm and the need to keep our own territories safe, it's a challenging task"

"Ozpin came to me with a simple idea" The general spoke. "The kingdom sends more aid to the independent territories to keep the peace, and in return we help them with the gathering of resources like food and Dust, after all, with our help their operations outside their territories can go more smoothly, we know the terrain and how to keep it safe"

"It starts slowly as first" The headmaster said. "But as both Vale and the independent settlements collaborate more, trade deals and mutual protection arrangements can be made. In time, Vale can help provide with other things, such as the building and management of combat academies in the wilds"

"Which produces in turn another valuable resource" Grey said after taking another drink from his flask. "Warriors hardened by the wilds"

That... Was a very sound plan Weiss tapped her chin. Actually it was brilliant, outside settlements get what they want as well as vale. Everyone wins; of course some people would frown on it, naysayers on both fronts. But on the whole, "Genius." It was genius because it was so simple yet it could prove to be so effective.

"Thank you Miss Schnee," the headmaster adjusted his glasses. "This is where team RWBYN and JNPR come in to play. Your teams will be the bridge between the kingdom and the wilds."

Obviously the young teens looked a bit shocked; "That is a great responsibility," Pyrrha spoke up.

"It is," Glynda nodded; "But trust takes time to gain."

"What exactly would we be doing?" Ruby asks, not clear on the purpose of their teams.

"Simple" Ozpin answered. "You will be assigned to wilds territories for prolonged periods of times to help the locals with whatever problems they may be facing"

"Wait a moment" Weiss shook her head. "You'd be sending us to missions outside the kingdoms while we're still on training?" She said incredulously. "Those are missions given at least to the second years, and we've literally just began our studies here at Beacon"

"On any other occasion, I would agree" Grey nodded as he crossed his arms. "But I've seen how you fight, you kids are simply naturals"

While proud at the praise, there were also other matters to take into account. "What about our classes?" Ren prompted. "If we are to be away of Beacon during extended periods, we won't be here to study for our exams and attend the classes"

"We trust you'll make the most of it while you're here" Grey once more spook. "The wilds will also be your teacher, and my soldiers will aid you in anything you need, you can learn a lot from them"

"As for your classes and tests" Glynda interjected. "There is no need to worry; this special assignment will count greatly in the overall percentage of your grades"

Ozpin waved his cup. "Think of it as 'bonus points'" He said with a bit of mirth on his voice and a twitch of his lips.

"Hold up, hold up" Yang stopped them for a moment. "You mean we get to go to the wilds earlier than we're supposed to, beat up some bad guys, and get better grades because of it?" A smirk soon threatened to split her face. "Hell yeah, sign me up!"

"Yeah!" Ruby cheered along with her sister.

Weiss huffed in annoyance. "Can you two be serious for a moment?!" She reprimanded them in an angry tone. "Talented as we are, we may be signing up for something we're not ready yet"

"Oh yeah" The brawler rolled her eyes. "Cause the Deathstalker and the giant Nevermore during the test were a walk in the park..." Her tone dripped with sarcasm

"The warlords aren't anything to sneeze at either," Naruto said shockingly in a serious tone. "They got to their positions because they are dangerous. And the bandits, raiders, slavers; they do not care who you are. Or who you think you are. And prison won't be where most of those guys will be going."

"An express ticket to hell," Grey said simply. "Has any of you ever killed another person?"

The question threw them all of off-guard. It was a dangerous possibility, one they would eventually have to deal with as their advanced their careers as Huntsmen, Grimm were the main threat of Remnant, but they weren't the only one. Huntsmen dealt with many dangers around the world, they were its guardians after all, defenders of the people... even if it sometimes meant the taking out dangerous people.

None of them answered, Naruto said nothing as Grey knew he had, and the others suspected it as well. He certainly didn't mince his words about his time on the wilds.

Yang once more remembered how Kushina killed that man in front of her.

"I'm not saying you have to kill every time you're out there in the wilds" Grey said with a sympathetic tone. "That would mean casting away your morals, slowly descending until you become no better than those you hunt. We need keep our ideals as close to us as possible, remain who we are, what we stand for, to keep the Grimm at bay... But I wouldn't bring this up if it weren't a possibility"

"Could our teams discuss this headmaster," Ren said lifting a hand.

"Of course," Ozpin stood up; "This will not be something easy for any of you. But understand; this could prove advantageous for all parties."

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

As Grey bid his farewells, having to return to HQ, both teams decided to have a sit down in RWBYN's room. Naruto kept his cerulean on all of them as they were all deep in thought. From his place against the wall he saw Yang and Blake sitting on one of the beds, the brunette had her back against the wall. Weiss and Ruby sat of opposite of them, the heiress had her arms crossed while the small reaper slightly fidgeted with the hem of her skirt. Pyrrha had taken a sit on one of the chairs while Jaune paced around, Ren stood calmly with his arms behind his back while Nora sat cross-legged on the floor.

All of them looked very conflicted on the matter, with the exception of Weiss, who more or less seemed to remain by her opinion that they were not ready yet, and Jaune who looked particularly frightened at the prospect.

"Naruto" Yang called to him, he used his name instead of her nickname for him, which indicated how serious she was about the matter. "How bad is it really?"

"It's not bad for those who work hard and know how to take care of themselves" He answered. "But..." The blonde sighed. "Some other people out there aren't so lucky. If it's not the Grimm then it's the bandits looking to raid other's resources, or the slavers looking for 'merchandise'" He said with disgust.

"I don't get how those things can still be a problem" Jaune brought up. "The Grimm are attracted to negative emotions. You'd think bandits, or people who keep slaves, would have worse problems with them than other people just trying to get by"

"Well" Naruto scratched his neck. "Usually bandits get to places the Grimm can't reach easily, they move often, or fortify themselves in very defensible places. Other times with the presence of various bandit clans split the Grimm into different directions, making their numbers not be that much of an issue if one is prepared, and if the Grimm aren't that strong. As for slavers..." He sighed. "They're even craftier than bandits, they need to be if they expect to keep and sell people..."

Pyrrha's eyes went to the blond fox man; "Like that slave network you took down."

"The clever ones make them. Shifting people around so the Grimm can't sense it. The one where I posed as a slave was the third largest." Naruto took a very long deep breath; "That was a very bad week." He noticed Ruby was opening her mouth; "Before you even ask Ruby, I am not going to talk about what happened in that place." The blond's voice was soft and slightly horse; "There are some nightmares you never want to know of."

Never mind that after it was over his mother yelled at him for doing such a thing.

"Did you kill all of them?" Blake asked.

"The warlord was all mine. Some of the slaves I freed were soldiers, they took up arms beside me and we brought the place down."

"It's not right" Yang simply said.

"No" Naruto agreed. "It's not. A lot of people in the wilds need help"

"Look, Naruto" Weiss rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I understand things are difficult in the wilds"

Blake couldn't hold back her snort. "I doubt it" The heiress who grew up in a silver palace understood? Did she even know the word 'struggle'? She noticed everyone looking at her, particularly the white haired girl who was giving her an angry glare. Well, no sense in keeping shut now. "People out there don't have food delivered to them by professional chefs; they constantly work to make sure they have the basic necessities"

Whatever Weiss was about to say, it died on her mouth when Ruby interjected. "Look, arguing gets us nothing. We're a team now, we need to get along and decide this"

The brunette and the heiress shared one last angry look before looking away with an indignant sniff.

"Anyway" Naruto had the nagging suspicion this wouldn't be the last time those two clashed heads. "You were saying Weiss?"

Weiss cleared her throat. "As I was saying, I get that people have it hard there, but Naruto" She looked at him the eye. "We literally were named a team yesterday. However well we performed in the tests, we need more experience"

"And we'll get it" Naruto argues. "Grey won't just send us to the wilds immediately, he'll give us enough time to train and prepare. You're not going in cold feet, trust me I have been there," He stressed. "We build our team to make it one, have each other's backs."

Weiss conceded with a nod that was acceptable. Ren rubbed his chin; "This won't be easy to achieve. But I'm in." Everyone looked at him; "if someone comes after me or my friends I will defend you, and kill if I have to." Nora looked up at him.

"Most common answer I've heard from folks joining my group," Naruto comments.

"Naruto," Eyes went to Ruby; "Those Brotherhood of Light guys, they help people too right? Would they help us as well?"

A scoff came from the Uzumaki and hidden Faunus. "As from what I heard those guys are not really on good terms with the kingdoms as it is. Besides, Grandmaster Azrael is one of the biggest horse's asses I ever heard of. And that is being polite."

"The Brotherhood only cares for its own agenda" Blake said disdainfully. "I've seen how they work. Only if it's in their interests they will help you"

Naruto gave her a look. "Look, I'm not a fan of them, but I know some of them who are really good people who help others. But as long as their top leaders remain as they are, I doubt they'll improve much"

Blake glance at him for moment, but said nothing. Nora sighed; "Well, if Ren's in for it, so am I"

"I concur," Pyrrha took a deep breath; "When we all agreed to be Huntsmen we understood our lives would be in constant danger. But the greater danger is doing nothing and letting the darkness win. I will aid you." the redhead looked to their group's leader; "Jaune?"

"What? Yes...I..."

Oh what was he going do now? The rest of his team had accepted and it looked like RWBYN was going to do the same. Jaune cursed himself for having forged those papers. He got way in over his head, he wasn't ready yet... But... he couldn't back down now, not when his team had accepted. Besides, if they were all together then they'd be fine right.

"I uh..." He stuttered one last time. "Yeah" He finally nodded, trying to sound as confident and resolute as possible. "I'm in too"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

After the day they had, they decided it was better to put off decorating the room for tomorrow. And despite Weiss' objections on Naruto actually putting up his hammock, the foxy blonde was sleeping suspended from the floor; they had all retired to sleep. Save for Yang who watched her little sister peacefully slumbering. _'I know what we're doing is dangerous work. But I..._ ' The thought of her sister taking another person's life. True Ruby could take down Grimm without blinking, but people...

Her stomach turned at the thought. Damn it she needed to talk to someone, with a sigh she grabbed her scroll and went to the bathroom. No need to wake anyone. Luckily she knew one person who does not go bed early. Closing the door and sitting on the ground, she dials; "Need some fatherly advice, pops." she said to herself as she waited.

After a few seconds, the scroll showed the image of a blonde man with curly hair, his eyes were a deep blue; he possessed a strong jaw with some stubble on it. Taiyang yawned as he rolled his neck. "Hey sweetie" He greeted his eldest daughter with a warm smile filled of fatherly affection.

"Hi dad" Yang replied with a smile of her own.

"Been late for you to be calling me" He pointed out, giving her a concerned look. "Everything okay there?"

"Yeah, yeah. I uh... I guess so"

Now he truly looked concerned for her. "What's wrong?"

Yang stared at her father for a moment. She took a deep breath and sighed. "Today we... we met General Wilhelm"

Taiyang's widened and his jaw dropped. "You met Grey?" He said astonished. "On Beacon? W-What did he want?"

And so Yang told him about the general's deal with the headmaster.

"I see..." Taiyang said slowly. "Huntsmen are often deployed on the wilds, Yang. You knew this would eventually happen. Though I'll admit I'm a bit worried it'd be too soon for you and your sister"

Yang closed her eyes; she couldn't hold it in anymore, not after today, knowing what the future would await them. "Dad... remember what I told you about that fox lady, the one who's now a teacher here?"

"That Kushina woman right?" His daughter nodded. "Yeah, you told me her son was part of your team. Heh" He let out a soft laugh. "A five-men team, that's first time in... ever. I know I told you this before, but I'm so proud of you two" Taiyang smiled at her lovingly, and just by that gesture Yang felt a bit better. "But tell me, what's truly bothering?"

Yang took a deep breath before letting it all out. "The night I met her... I saw her killing someone in front of me..."

Her father grimaced; "The first time seeing something like that is the worst. How are you?"

"How should I be? I mean I knew from what Red said that guy had it coming for all he did. But it felt..."

"Made you sick to your stomach," Taiyang ran his hand through his hair. "Killing a person it not something that is easy, it should never be. Why Summer and I never wanted you to be Huntsmen in the first place..."

Yang looked at him in surprise, before they formally joined the combat academies, their father had always suggested for an alternative profession to being Huntsmen, it had been a gentle nudging on his part, not an order. But to hear their late mother didn't want them to be Huntresses either?

"You..." She slowly shook her head. "You never said anything about it"

"What was the point?" He shrugged. "The moment you two began showing that talent, that spirit for combat, I knew it'd be impossible for you to change your minds" He let out a humorless laugh. "You were too much like us in that regard, I think Summer would have thought so too. We just... We just wanted you two to have a better life, an easier one"

"...I can't have life like that, dad" Yang said in an apologetic tone. "Not after what I heard. Knowing there are people who need help, that there are bastards out there who do those horrible things and get away with it..." She growled, her eyes flashing red for a moment. "It just makes me so furious"

Taiyang nodded; "I know; the bandits and slavers are the worst of people. Did that Kushina or Naruto talk about some encounters?"

"Whiskers brought up him posing as a slave for a week to take down some slaver scumbags. How he talked it about, it really got to him."

Taiyang made a throaty noise. "Yeah, I remember some of the missions my team had; we saw some truly horrible things"

"How..." She paused, looking for the right words. "How do you live with it?"

"You remember why you fight. Ruby is with you, yes she can take care of herself, but family protects family." He smiled at her lovingly. "And you know that every time you fight, you are protecting innocent and good people, it may be slow work but you do help make the world a better place" There was something in his eyes that Yang couldn't quite put into words, a sense of... not pride, but something related, perhaps it was his sense of duty what he was feeling? "Because you are a Huntsmen, a guardian of Remnant"

Yang didn't know how to respond to that.

"No matter what you two choose, I love you, and I'll always be proud of you"

A smile, small but filled with so much joy, came to her lips. "Thank you dad... I love you too"

"Now..." Taiyang gave a serious look; "This Naruto guy on your team. Where does he sleep?"

Yang rolled her lilac eyes; "Dad."

"Fully clothed and preferably in the hall I hope?"

"DAD!"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

 _Naruto gasped for breath as he held tightly unto the chipped blade on his hand. The Beowolves circled around like, like predators do with wounded prey. There were so many of them, dozens upon dozens…_

 _The fourteen year old ninja gritted his teeth, he wasn't going to let this monsters get anywhere near the place that had made him and his mother feel at home ever since they first arrived on this crazy world. He would protect them, Jack, Mary, their little newborn Sara… he would protect them all._

 _Even if it meant he was to die again._

" _Come on!" He challenged the beasts in his native tongue._

 _One of the beasts howled and lunged; Naruto braced himself and held up his blade… when suddenly a gunshot rang, and a portion of the monster's skull blown to bits_

 _The beasts turn towards the hill, and Naruto gawked at the sight of horsemen riding down towards the large number of Beowolves, all letting out valiant war cries as they charged, firing rifles and revolvers._

 _At the head of the horsemen stood a man, his hair graying and his eyes a piercing grey. He jumped down from his horse and… vanished, almost in a flash. He suddenly appeared before one of the Beowolves, and delivered a devastating sweeping kick that cracked its mask and sent it flying away._

 _Twin revolvers spun on his hands, one crackled with energy as a shining bolt of light pierced right through many Grimm at once._

 _He disappeared again, reappearing, only to vanish once more, all over the battlefield, taking dozens of those unholy monsters at the same time. With powerful physical strikes and high caliber bullets he took them down with ease._

 _He was… amazing._

 _When the other horsemen finally joined the Frey, the battle was already decided._

" _Hey kid" He approached him with a deep voice and concerned eyes. "You okay?"_

 _Naruto weakly nodded._

" _You did good, son" The cowboy smiled. He tipped his hat and nodded respectfully at him in greeting. "Name's Grey, nice to meet'cha"_


	5. Living Arrangements

Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto or RWBY

Co-Author & Beta: Etheral-23

Living arrangements

XxX ~ Three years ago ~ XxX

 _His movements were both swift and silent as a fifteen year old Naruto leapt through the trees of a dense forest. His acute senses have been leading him to the destination Grey had sent him for his mission. He just prayed everyone was alright._

 _His nose twitched, a faint scent carried by the wind was smelt. He stopped on a branch and sniffed the air, his head turned to northeast where the scent was stronger. Carrying on, Naruto followed the scent, this one becoming stronger each time he jumped from another tree._

 _The forest made way to some rocky formations, his sharp vision allowed him to discern shades and other colors moving amidst the threes and rocks. He spotted at least half a dozen people standing guard on a hollowed entrance to rock, a cave. They didn't look like bandits, their clothes didn't match, and they didn't look like the fighting sort. These people looked tired, afraid._

 _He dropped from the trees, startling them. They raised their weapons in fright, bows, blades and a few rifles. "Easy there!" He held up his hand in an attempt to call them. "I'm a friend"_

 _A middle aged woman holding a rifle glared; "Oh yeah brat? Who sent you?" Her hands lightly shook, along with the others who held a weapon._

 _"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, I was sent by the Journeymen to help," the blond fox boy kept his voice even and calm._

 _"Are you fucking kidding me?" a young man in his twenties vocalized his rage and disbelief; "The Journeymen just sent one goddamn kid to help us?!"_

 _Other voices soon made their displeasure heard, disappointed that the 'famed' Grey Wilhelm had only sent one person, a kid of all people to help them find safety. If it had not been for his mother's hardcore training, Naruto would have lost his temper by now by the outright belligerence. But it was not like he did not understand these people's anger given their situation._

 _"Look, you have doubts, I get it" The blonde said in a placating tone. "But trust me, the old man wouldn't have sent me if I weren't up to for it"_

 _The people looked among themselves unsure. "What do we have to lose?" One pointed out._

 _The middle aged woman sighed. "Fine... better take you to meet Mayor Paul. He's gonna need to talk to you about the Grimm" She lowered her rifle and motioned him to follow. "Come on, kid"_

 _Naruto complied, and so followed the woman into the cave, the rest remained behind to guard the entrance. Naruto noticed the cave was deep and wide, a good safe place for them to hide. "You were lucky you found this place"_

 _"Don't need to tell us that, kid" The woman replied with a shake of her head, Greying hair swaying with the movement. "It was a godsend. It was just mere luck that during one of his treks a scout found this place nearly a month ago. Ever since we appointed it as a safe location in case we ever needed to evacuate"_

 _The walk had grown silent as his fox ears heard the whispers and conversations of those they passed by. A few torches were lit on the cave walls, as the cave interior grew in size, he at least saw thirty people around a fire. Families for the most part, but they all looked broken in some way._

 _Parents crying while they held on tightly to something that once belong to their child, children calling out for their mother or father who was now no longer there. Grief and pain almost palpable as Naruto soon took notice of a short bald man in his mid-forties speaking to several people._

 _"Mayor Paul," the old woman called out the short man soon looked up. "A Journeyman is here."_

 _The man turned, and deep brown eyes looked incredulously at the fox boy; "'A' Journeymen?" He sighed warily, rubbing the top of his head with his hand. "When we sent that S.O.S we expected more people to receive it"_

 _"Radio transmission and net are weak in this area" Naruto replied. "We barely detected it at all"_

 _"And so they sent just one kid" Paul said in disappointment. "We were hoping for a Hunter... No offense to your militia, boy. But Huntsmen are far superior warriors"_

 _"...Quick story for ya," The blond fox teen said blankly; "met a Hunter about a year ago, just came from one of the academies. We had the same mission about a warlord; he got killed less than five minutes. And he was a good guy to." The mayor paled as Naruto leaned in; "Titles don't mean shit out here unless you know how to use your skills."_

 _"I-I... I apologizes, we just have been exhausted after what happened," the Mayor rubbed his hands nervously._

 _"Forgiven, and hey, I get it. Now, let's gets some work done and you guys to a safe place," Naruto smiled_

XxX ~ present day ~ XxX

Weiss groggily opened her eyes and was met with sight of Ruby's bed hanging atop her. Her still sleepy mind flashed with terror for a second, that thing hanging above her was an accident waiting to happen. But so far it proved to be sturdier than it looked like.

Her hand went to the night stand at her left, looking for her scroll. Looking at the screen, she saw the cloak displaying '7:11', it seemed she had woken up before her alarm had gone off. No matter, she was ready to start the day.

The huffing sounds coming from the room told her she wasn't the only one starting the day. The voices only cemented that.

"You wanna have a competition Whiskers;" Came Yang's teasing voice.

"Nah" Replied Naruto's. "I just wanna do my set, take a shower and then eat something. We can compete later at the gym"

"You're on!" She said excitedly.

Weiss rubbed her eyes. What were those blond ruffians doing? A quick glance at her right and her eyes met Blake, who looked just as unamused as whatever early tirade those two were up to.

So the heiress got up from her bed, feet slipping into a pair of comfortable sleepers, as she stretched her libs. "What are you doing?" She merely asked, not looking at them yet.

"Morning workout, princess" Yang said. "You can't wait till the gym opens. Gotta be keep yourself in shape every time"

"I've always believed in early morning training," Naruto said simply while not paying attention to the now large blush dusting the heiress's cheeks.

The reason being while the blond fox Faunus worked on his push up without a shirt, and Weiss could see every muscle on the man's back and arms lightly covered in sweat. Reading a book from her bed, Blake had hardly read a page as her golden eyes have been mostly staring Naruto's well-built physique.

Steam lightly came from Weiss's face as she saw all the definition in her sole male teammate's muscles; "C-could you least put a shirt on please?"

"Uh no, I hate wearing them while training."

' _He could just be like that all day,'_ Blake mentally mused before blushing and looking back to her book.

The fencer turned her gaze to avoid looking at him directly. "You're gonna stink the place with your sweat..." That sweat running down that hard body... Ugh, bad thoughts, bad thoughts!

Yang huffed a breath as she stopped with her arms holding her up. "Then use ambient spray" She shifted to sit and bent her knees, her back connected to the floor before going up and down again, repeating the process.

Naruto followed suit, and the B and W of RWBYN got to see the chiseled muscles of his chest and stomach acting in tandem with each sit up.

Weiss had to keep her mouth shut as to not drool. While Blake not so discretely enjoyed the view, but the blondes paid no mind to her observations. She had to admit it was pleasing from aesthetic point of view.

While the Faunus in disguise was in part a bit embarrassed, another part of her just let herself enjoy the sight.

They were both attractive people, there was nothing more in just admiring the bodies which were both product of lots of hard work. Naruto was slim yet possessed certain broadness to his body, as if balancing both agility and raw strength. Which made sense considering his fighting style, but still it was not easy to achieve. The result of his training made him easy on the eyes.

Yang was attractive as well, a perfect blend of feminine and muscularity. The brawler possessed a curvy yet strong body, with toned arms and a marked stomach. Complimented with curves and an attractive face along with a sizeable bust. Yang was attractive and she knew it, and she certainly wasn't afraid to show off. Not that Blake could blame her.

It was then that Blake stopped herself. _'...What was that?'_ Sure, she couldn't deny the appeal of Naruto's own physique. But why had she been thinking the same about Yang?

...The amber eyed girl decided she didn't like where this line of thinking was going. So she instead shoved it to the back of her mind.

Returning to back reading her book, Weiss cleared her throat while still blushing; "Whatever," she grabbed some clothes and went into the bathroom.

"She's still not used to having a guy for roommate," Naruto commented while doing his set. Not to say he was used to roommating with four beautiful ladies. That never happened out in the Wilds, let alone back in his old world. It has been a unique development.

Though Yang and her teasing hasn't helped matters much. Out of the four, she didn't even bat an eyelash at the thought of sharing the same room with a guy. Then again she had zero qualms about personal space or 'etiquette' with other people.

It did cause Weiss to go off on a rant; Ruby just explained that is how her sis had always been.

"Oh she'll come around whiskers," Yang spoke up; "She just has to get use to your foxy bod," the buxom blond snickered.

That made both Naruto and Blake mentally sigh, Oh gods those puns...

"You really need to work on your stuff" Naruto grumbled. "Some of those are physically painful..."

"You do know puns are the lowest form of comedy right?" Blake droned.

"What? Nooo. Puns are awesome" Yang grinned. "You just need to find the right PUNchline~"

Naruto stopped mid-sit up, and Blake froze as she turned a page. Their faces had gone blank, showing no emotion. Then they both let a long suffering groan in perfect unison.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

"Remember people," Kushina spoke with an authoritative tone; "hand to hand is more than just about kicks and punches, it's about understanding your body, mind, and soul." Wearing Anbu pants and a sports bra, the redheaded Uzumaki observes everyone critically as they either sparred or went through basic katas.

And exactly like Naruto had said when they first came to this class, his mother has been putting everyone through their paces in a brutal -least what some student's thought- training and sparring.

Fortunately the few students who were versed in hand to hand have been assisting during the sessions while still improving themselves.

"Now, not every 'refined' style will fit you, and that's fine. Take Yang for instance" The brawler was energetically delivering various punches and hooks at a sandbag. "Her brawler style isn't really as flashy when compared to the likes of martial arts"

Yang herself grinned, "I think you saw I can get 'flashy'"

"What did we talk about?" Kushina said with an amused raised eyebrow.

"Oh right, sorry. I think you saw I can get 'flashy', sensei"

"That's better" The fox woman nodded approvingly. "As I was saying, it's not the martial arts you see from other people. But it's still devastatingly efficient."

Yang's last punch ripped the sandbag from its chain and sent it flying against the wall.

Quite a few people gulped at that.

"And Miss Nikos," Kushina gestured over to Spartan redhead currently grappling against Naruto; "She knows the art of grappling, and she is very methodical."

Currently Pyrrha had Naruto in an arm-bar for which the tall blond winced quite a bit; "And she's WAY stronger than she looks," the blond fox teen growled out as he felt like his arm was being torn off. "You kick ass Pyrrha."

"Thank you."

The fox woman shrugged "But if what you're looking for is something more 'elegant'" She waved a hand at Ren who was sparring with Blake. "I'm more than happy to assist you in trying to learn a style like his"

The magenta eyed boy took a deep breath as his eyes closed. He moved his arms in arc and calmly settled them at his waist's height. Blake looked at him carefully, waiting for the right moment to strike.

The Faunus in disguise feinted left but swiftly moved to the right, bringing her fist up. Ren moved with amazing precision and speed, bringing up his arm and blocking her attack. Not to be deterred, Blake brought her left leg in a sweeping strike against his side. The dark haired boy blocked her attack and quickly grabbed a hold of her leg.

A quick pull made Blake lose balance as she was dragged forward, Ren swiftly hit her stomach with an open palm, letting go of her leg. Blake staggered back as she regained her footing, she hissed as she rubbed her stomach. Aura may absorb the damage but the sensations lingered somewhat.

"Power and finesse," Kushina commented as she patted Ren's shoulder approvingly who nodded calmly back. "This is what I know, and what I taught my son. And if anyone wants to-" Everyone froze as the entire room shook. Eyes panned right over to Sky embedded in the wall by via a punch by a blank looking Nora who soon blinked.

The orange haired girl looked right back to everyone; "Heh, oopise..." Ren only sighed.

Yang only looked wide eyed while Weiss was slack jawed; "Just how strong is that girl?" the buxom blond muttered.

"Glad she's on our side," Ruby whistled seeing Sky out cold.

"Stop focusing on other people" Weiss brought the dark redhead's attention to her. The two were wearing sleeveless workout shirts over sport bras and long pants. "And focus on your assignment"

"Right, right, Sorry;" Ruby said sheepishly. She once more positioned herself over the mat and looked straight at the heiress. "So uh... how do we do this?" She asked Kushina.

The fox woman was actually a bit surprised, with Yang as her sister she had expected the scythe wielder to actually be more familiar with hand to hand. "Throw a punch, do what you feel natural" Kushina first needed to access how much knowledge and natural skill they had on their own.

Weiss crossed her arms. "I do not believe we should just flail our arms and do whatever" She said with defiance. "Shouldn't you give us more detailed instruction before-" It was then that Ruby punched her in the arm. "Ow!" She heiress whined and rubbed the sore spot. "What did you do that for?!" Blue eyes stared at silver ones in anger.

Ruby sputtered; "She told me too!" She exclaimed; pointing at a now amused Kushina.

"Why you little..." So Weiss did the most mature and sensible thing to do. She punched her back in the arm.

"Ow!" Now it was Ruby's turn to rub her arm. "I wasn't ready for that!"

"Well I wasn't ready for yours either!" The heiress snapped. "Maybe if you'd actually think things through instead of acting reckless all the time..."

Ruby growled with rising anger (which Kushina found downright adorable, that girl couldn't be threatening even if she tried), and punched Weiss back.

"Ow!" And so the heiress retaliated.

"Ow!" The reaper did not relent either

It went on back and forth like this for a bit before slowly escalating (if it could be called that) into a slap fight with both girls throwing their heads back with their eyes closed.

Kushina could only stand there and look. One arm crossed beneath her chest while a hand covered her chin and mouth. She wasn't sure if she should feel amused, disappointed, or distressed at the girls' 'spar'.

"Okay," the fox woman pulled both girls apart by the collars of their shirts; "We will work on your skills," By the gods she did not know if she should either laugh, cry, or punch their former professors for not teaching these kids hand to hand.

She made her way over to Jaune, dressed in a shirt and sweats looking at a sandbag; "You're supposed to hit it, hun." The young blond looked a bit nervous; "Well you can spar with me if you prefer."

"Wait what?" the leader of team JNPR was soon dragged to the mat and place on one side while Kushina took the other.

"Come on" She smirked as she stood opposite of him. "Show me what you have"

"O-Oh" Alarms sounded on Jaune's head; he didn't have the slightest idea of what to do. If he showed himself incompetent at this, it might draw the teacher to check over his file. And that is something he most certainly did NOT want. His forgery was supposed to be of good quality, but he didn't want to risk any professor taking a closer look at it.

He remembered his father's words about confidence. That's it, confidence. All he needed to do was put on a smile and throw a punch of two, if he pretended he had skill then perhaps he could fool her, yeah.

"You ready?" She asked.

The swordsman cleared his throat and put on what he thought was a brave smile. "Oh I am ready?" He took a fighting stance and bounced on his feet, as he's seen various martial arts on TV do. "Think you'll be surprised, sensei. I don't wanna brag but I know a thing or two" He beamed at her.

Kushina, however, was NOT smiling. His stance was horrible; there were so many holes in it. He wasn't paying attention to her limbs, and most likely wasn't anticipating making any move either.

The kid was completely clueless.

Jaune bragged without even throwing a single punch, he just stood there bouncing on his feet, his hands apart in a poor brawler stance. "Some said I was pretty awesome, a force of nature, a real phenomenon"

Kushina slapped him right across the face. She didn't even put any effort in making her move be fast or unpredictable.

"Ouchy;" Jaune cried as he nursed his red cheek.

"Yes, you're a phenomenon alright..." Kushina leaned in; "phenomenal that you have absolutely zero hand to hand skills. Your stance was atrocious, you left your body completely wide open, and don't get started on your foot work."

Jaune only shrunk under his teacher's very intimidating gaze while nursing his cheek; "S-sorry sensei."

"Be grateful I'm here and will make damn certain you will know hand to hand combat when I'm finished," She walked away; "Basics and a fundamentals for you first Jaune."

Pyrrha had lightly winced when Kushina slapped Jaune. As their sensei walked over to her desk, the Spartan wanted to go over and say something. But his form was really, really bad. Her gaze shifted to Naruto who only stared seriously at Jaune who still nursed his cheek. "He has room to improve."

"He'd better," the blond fox man said bluntly; "there are no do overs in the Wild lands, and if he tried that out there he'd be dead in a minute," Pyrrha winced while her sparring partner sighed; "but he's lucky my mom is the sensei, you survive her training, you're ready for anything."

"Don't you mean pass?" a student beside them asked.

Naruto shook his head; "No, I didn't."

Yang approached them as she worked the cricks in her neck; she joined them in watching Jaune doing the push-ups as Kushina had instructed him. "He's very rough" The brawler muttered loud enough so the other two could hear him.

"No offense to him" Naruto muttered back. "But I thought you needed more skill to join Beacon" Jaune lacked many of the physical abilities that came with the applicants for Huntsmen training, his speed and agility was leagues below their own. Their battle against those giant Grimm during the initiation had proven that.

Pyrrha felt the need to come to her leader's defense; "He holds a lot of promise" She continued; "True, there is room for improvement but he has great potential. His pool of Aura is very large; I could feel it as I unlocked it during the test"

Both fox boy and blond girl just looked at the Spartan in confusion. "Wait..." Yang held up a hand. "Run that one by me again?"

The amazon then realized she may have said more than she should have. "I... I unlocked his Aura during the test"

Yang's face changed from incredulous to mortified; "Are you kidding me?!" She had to hold herself back from shouting to a harsh whisper. "He actually came here with his Aura dormant?!"

"That..." Naruto shook his head; he couldn't believe what he just heard. "Is an amazingly easy way to get killed..." He didn't use his chakra the same way as Aura, but he emulated the effects closely with seals around his gear to channel his energy as a force field as well.

Trained warriors DEPENDED on Aura. Otherwise they were vulnerable to fatal blows delivered by their opponents, the Grimm were strong enough to easily kill a regular human in one blow. He was going to keep a closer eye on Jaune more often now. His fellow blond was a nice guy, a little odd even by his standards, but he didn't want the guy to get killed out on a mission. Or even worse get his entire team killed.

XxX ~ Three years ago ~ XxX

 _"Ugh!" The pained grunt was followed by the sound of Naruto crashing against a wooden wall, going right through it and into the house. As his head stopped spinning he realized it was actually a really nice place... before the Grimm began tearing and burning the whole village down that is._

 _He spotted a fallen cereal box. 'Pumpkin Pete's', he had heard of it before. Supposedly the mascot was a bunny but the image the cereal sported was that of a lovely redheaded girl in armor promoting it. "Phew" He whistled. Damn she was a hottie._

 _Then the cry of a Beowulf snapped him out of his reverie. He sat back up and looked through the whole to see three of them slowly circling around the house._

 _"Ah right..." He picked up his sword and stretched as he stood up. "Sorry I forgot about you guys"_

 _With a flick of his wrist, the blade was shrouded in blue flames. He dashed out of the same whole he had made and in a blur of motion the three Grimm were cut in half, their bodies quickly incinerating with aid of the flames._

 _He rolled his necks. "Three down" He looks back at the center of the village, where the many, many Grimm were coming from. Slowly approaching, prowling before their prey. "And..." He tried doing a quick count but soon gave up. "A lot more to go apparently"_

 _A Beowulf charged as it took swipe with its razor sharp claws; the blond fox teen dodged and used the beast's arms as a spring board, leaping well above the Grimm as his katana blade was lit by blue flames. Naruto roared as gravity took over an brought down his sword through the monster's neck._

 _Not wasting time, he dashed ahead for more Grimm; he ducked and weaved through several attacks while countering with his own. Slamming a Rasengan home into a Beowulf's skull, this sent the creature spiraling head first into a building killing it._

 _Anger came loudly from a Beowulf's roar as it charged towards its prey. Naruto for the beast as well, doing an expert baseball slide before it could strike with its claws. Extending his right hand, his chakra chain shot forward and wrapped around the monster's ankle. The blond growled as he used his chain and lifted the Grimm into the air and hammered it hard into two other of its kind killing all three. The chain retracted as Naruto kept on the fight._

 _A monstrous avian screech made him look up, he saw two giant Nevermores approaching. The presence of their kin and the battle had drawn them. He didn't even have time to curse his luck as the ground trembled, and from underneath the earth bursted various skull plated lizard-like Grimm with no forelimbs and long tails._

 _They roared at him. Naruto held his sword tightly as the Beowolves and Creeps slowly approached him, making him take a few steps back. The blonde blinked in confusion as the Grimm began making way, cleaving a path for a much larger of their brethren to move through._

 _An Ursa, but not any Ursa. It was far larger, and the thicker amount of bone plating and spikes sprouting from its back indicated this was an older Grimm. An Ursa Major, a deadlier variant of their kind that had seen more conflict than any regular Grimm and lived to see the next day._

 _The Ursa just stood there, observing him. If Naruto didn't know any better he'd thought the damn thing was actually assessing the situation. Like the monster could actually think._

 _Then it roared, and almost as if the Nevermores were following a command. They dive bombed straight at him, their talons raised ready to tear the fox boy to shreds._

 _Naruto realized he couldn't face both those things at once. He had to retreat._

 _Then two blurring fast objects, leaving a trail of softly colored smoke, impacted against the Nevermores in mid-flight. Creating powerful explosions that tore the monsters apart. Chunks of burning flesh and limbs fell to the ground, some disintegrating before they made contact with the floor._

 _The Journeyman could only blink in confusion while the Grimm moved back, feeling the new threat._

 _The roar of engines caught his attention, and Naruto looked back to see two transport ships heading straight to their location._

 _Aerial transport wasn't common in the wilds. Much less one with such armaments. His sharp sight allowed him to see the symbols the vehicles wore with pride. The Brotherhood..._

 _The flying ships opened their door to reveal two platoons of armored knights. "All knights, deploy!" A synthesized voice cried out._

 _The knights jumped down from the transports before these made full touchdown with the ground, they quickly organized themselves with great efficiency and moved pass the blonde, completely ignoring him. The front row of knights kneeled and took aim with their rifles while another row stood up._

 _Another figure dropped from one of ships. This one was_ massive _, around eight feet tall or more. Clad in armor so thick and heavy it should be impossible to move around in it. The ground cracked underneath its heavy feet. The sound of hydraulics moving in perfect coordination allowed Naruto to understand that was no mere armor._

 _He had heard about such things before, a prized treasure of the Brotherhood reserved for their veterans. Power armor..._

 _The warrior looked like a giant amongst men, his helmet stylized in a bulkier version of knight's helm. Heavy pauldrons shifted with each movement of his arms as he moved forward, each step so heavy the ground seemed to tremble. On one hand he held a shield that had to be as big as a regular human; the great gauntlet possessed a great barrel underneath the fist, indicating sometime of ranged weaponry installed on the suit. On the other he held a masterfully crafted spear nearly as tall as the suit was which made it the biggest weapon Naruto had seen in his life._

 _The Grimm cried out in defiance, yet the knights stood resolute._

 _"For gods and chapter, my brothers!" The knight in power armored shouted with his synthesized voice. "Attack!"_

 _The flashes and roar of gunfire filled the streets, even as the Grimm charged._

 _XxX ~ xx ~ XxX_

 _Naruto had to whistle as both he, and his unexpected backup had finished off the Grimm and saved the village. The blond wiped the sweat from his brow as he turned to the armored knights; "You guys can kick some ass!"_

 _The man in power armor looked over the blond fox Faunus that had been fighting the Grimm alone; "State your position civilian"_

 _"Not a civilian, mane is Naruto Uzumaki I'm with the Journeymen."_

 _"The Journeymen only sent one person," another of the Brotherhood spoke in disbelief; "And a kid of all things."_

 _That made Naruto's eyes twitch; "We're stretched thin but we do what we can for the people." One of the reasons he and his mom joined up with Grey and his group. "We heard a distress call and I was sent here."_

 _"Well, you did your duty" He didn't like the tone the knight in power armor was giving him. Like he considered him to unimportant, or an annoyance. "You may now return with your militia, we have the situation covered"_

 _"Really?" Naruto crossed his arms challengingly. "What about the villager? Do you even know where they are?"_

 _The leading knight turned his head to one of his subordinates. "No sighting of the townsfolk in the surrounding area, captain Kleitos"_

 _The knight now named Kleitos crossed his massive arms as well. "Do you?" He asked the blonde impatiently._

 _Naruto shrugged. "I actually spoke to them before coming here to see if they were okay"_

 _"Well" Kleitos turned and walked away. "Inform them that their village has been reclaimed, we will remain here to make sure no Grimm stragglers return"_

 _Now the fox boy didn't really like his tone. "I don't work for you"_

 _He rolled his large shoulders. "Then be gone and leave them to their luck"_

 _Naruto didn't bother hiding the growl building on his throat. He snorted as we he made his way back to the villagers._

 _About an hour later, he had returned with the people who were beyond relieved and happy they had their home back._

 _Mayor Paul looked ready to cry. "I cannot thank you enough my boy"_

 _The Journeyman scratched his head, about to say that it was no trouble, when the giant knight suddenly intruded. "We were more than happy to defend the innocent. Such is the duty of our order" Kleitos said with pride. "Had we not arrived in time, I fear our... companion here" He used the word loosely, as if he didn't want any kind of association with the blonde. "Would not have made it, the Grimm were numerous"_

 _Naruto bit back a growl as the villagers soon gave praises to both him and the Brotherhood, many were in awe of the armored men and women as well as the 'brother-captain' in his power armor. Part of his work done, his new main priority was to help the people settle back in, the blond started helping around the villagers._

 _However the teen Journeyman took notice how the Brotherhood members were either butting into his aiding the people or outright ignoring him as Brotherhood jumped ahead of him to help with people before he could do it. Like it was some sort dick measuring contest. And it was starting to really get on Naruto's nerves._

 _But unlike these asshats in tin cans, the blond's concerns were the people._

 _He saw captain Kleitos speaking with the mayor. The man in charge of the town was leaning on a somewhat battered table, looking at some plans with the Brotherhood Knight. "The buildings will need a lot of work, I don't know if we can defend ourselves and repair our homes at the same time..." The man tiredly ran a hand over his head, feeling the pressure of his responsibilities bearing on him._

 _"There is simple solution to that" Kleitos sounded more than happy to provide an answer. "The chapters of the order give aid as well as infrastructure support to towns and villages that pledge their allegiance to us. If the town were to be under our banner, we'd be authorized to provide protection and resources"_

 _Paul looked up to him in surprise. "I... That would be life-saving" Yet he looked unsure. "What are the terms of this 'pledge'?"_

 _"The town will summit to the laws set by the Brotherhood, they are not really much different from any other place here in independent territories" The massive knight explained. "And of course, the chapter will accept any the youth that wishes to prove themselves and join the ranks, starting as acolytes"_

 _The mayor slowly nodded, taking it all in._

 _"It is a great honor" Kleitos put emphasis on the last words._

 _"Well..." Paul said slowly. "I can safely say a lot of people are looking up to you for what you did. And the sheer resources you have available..."_

 _And it was true; The Brotherhood of Light had a lot more resources than the Journeymen given his group started over seventy years ago. While the Brotherhood had centuries to build up to the power they had become in the Wilds._

 _However Naruto's first impression on these folks now meeting up close them was not an endearing one. They may try to look and act like selfless chevaliers but they were also clearly interested in having more people support their own agenda. He noticed Mayor Paul glanced over to him; "We accept, but I won't ignore the help our young Journeyman friend here has been."_

 _"Of course," Naruto's fox ears picked up the trimmer of annoyance from Kleitos voice._

 _The blond fox teen came over to shake the Mayor's hand; "You'll be in good hands," Naruto was really trying to make sure he did not make a snarky comment; "if you need us, the Journeymen will always help."_

 _Paul smiled; "Thank you."_

 _Turning around, Naruto could pretty much sense the cockiness coming from majority of the Brotherhood members as he walked out of the village._ 'Ugh feel like I need a shower.' _his thoughts were sidetracked as he felt a small hand tug at his shirt. Stopping and turning around he saw a small boy looking up at him smiling._

 _"Thank you Mr. Fox."_

 _Naruto smiled right back with a wide toothy smile. He ruffled his hair playfully. "It's nothing kid"_

XxX ~ Present time - Beacon ~ XxX

Naruto laid swaying on his hammock with his eyes closed and hands behind his head. Trying to relax a bit after today's practice. Damn Pyrrha had some painful holds...

"What are we doing exactly?" He heard Weiss drawl with a mix of annoyance and impatience.

The reason for her mood was JNPR once more being present on their room; she didn't seem too pleased with their leader inviting them whenever she felt like it. The Spartan was sitting on Blake's bed, next to the owner of said bed. While Ren simply sat on the floor and Jaune on one of their chairs. Nora for her part was happily laying on her stomach on Ruby's bed, mimicking Yang's pose on her own. While their team leader was sitting with Weiss on the latter's bed.

"Well, we're gonna be fighting together a lot right?" The silver eyed young girl said excitedly with a large smile. "So I thought we could get to know what we can do. Our Semblances and stuff"

Blake hummed in thought. "That is a pretty good idea actually" It'd be better for cooperation and unit cohesion if they knew about each other's capabilities.

The heiress looked like she wanted to argue, but much to her own disappointment, she couldn't dispute that logic. "It is a... sound idea"

The tip of Naruto's fox tail swayed as it hung out of the hammock; "I am curious about your Semblances." He opened his cerulean orbs glancing over; "let's see here." He looked over at Yang. "You get stronger when you get angry right?" The sheer pummeling she had delivered to that poor King Taijitu over a single hair...

"Well, not exactly" Yang explained, much to the confusion of those present, namely Blake. Who had also seen her in action and had come to a similar conclusion to Naruto. "My Semblance is about absorbing damage. If I get hit, I charge double the energy and return it"

Huh, Blake mused. That explained a few details about the brawler when she thought about. Like why her gauntlets allowed her knuckles to make direct contact with whatever she was fighting.

"We've seen you do that before" Weiss brought up. "Your eyes change color and you generate a lot of heat" They had seen Yang's outburst in the initiation; she had even generated bursts of flames.

"That your way of saying I'm hot?" Yang winked at her.

The heiress rolled her eyes. "Hardly. What I am trying to say is that it looks like you don't need to be hurt for your semblance to activate"

"Yeah, that's what I was trying to say" The brawler said, sitting cross legged over her mattress. "Anger or anything dealing with passion can help too. They all 'hurt' in a way. But for my Semblance to truly reach its potential I need to absorb damage" She grinned. "But when I 'burn', ain't nothing my fists can't destroy"

"She can bench-press a truck!" Ruby said excitedly over her sister's prowess. "And brought down a part of our house once!"

All eyes pan the buxom blond's way who sheepishly chuckles; "Uh yeah... Long story."

"Anger issues," Naruto summing it up.

"Yes I have a tempter whiskers," Yang said dryly.

 _'I gathered,'_ Blake and Naruto mentally retort as the fox teen shrugged; "Can't really say anything since I have a temper to."

Ruby looks over to the beautiful redhead; "What can you do Pyrrha?"

"Well" The tournament champion smiled softly. "My Semblance is polarity"

Ruby gasped in wonder. "You can control poles..."

The white haired heiress couldn't keep her palm from smacking her own forehead. Even Blake rolled her eyes at that while Naruto and Yang found it hilarious that Ruby was so adorably amazed.

"No you dunce" Weiss sighed in exasperation. "It means she can control magnetism"

"Magnets are cool too..." She continued in her dazed tone.

As to demonstrate, Pyrrha held up her hand, and suddenly a metal-tipped pen went flying from one of the desks. Everyone watched fascinated as the pen spun in midair over Pyrrha's hand.

"That could do a lot of good out in the wilds," Naruto commented as he thought of quite a few applications that could be done with Pyrrha's semblance.

"What can you do Mr. Fluffy," Nora spoke up looking bright eyed to Naruto who almost fell out of his hammock while Yang only laughed at him.

Readjusting himself on his hammock, the blond raised his right arm as soon as blue fire appeared covering his forearm and hand; "Turns out Grimm really don't like this kind of fire. Mom has it too. I can coat my weapons and even my techniques with it."

Blake looks at him quizzically. "I thought you said those clones of yours were you Semblance"

"I said my blue fire is a technique we can do" Naruto clarified. "It's unrelated"

"Like an aura technique?" Pyrrha questioned. Manipulation of aura into diverse ways wasn't unheard off. Though more often than not people required Dust for that.

"Yeah. My clones remember what they did before they get dispelled, a great way of gathering information" He didn't expand beyond that. Blake didn't press for any more questions and just left it at that. "What about you?" He asked. "You have shadow clones as well"

"I'm afraid my clones are much more limited in nature" The Faunus in disguise replied. "My shadow clones can give me a boost of speed when moving. I use them for maneuvering as much as fighting. Let's me use a boost of speed to leave one in my stead and take the hit" She explained. "But for other tactics they're too static, I can leave one in place but it stays still. I can also channel Dust to create them out of a certain element but these are static as well. So I need to employ those as traps or defensive actions"

"You can't use them like Naruto's?" Ruby asked.

"I can't"

"Are you sure?" Ren asked. "Semblances evolve with time. Perhaps you've yet to reach the point where your clones can act independently from you"

The amber eyed girl mused on his words for a moment. "I've... never really took it into consideration" Once she developed her skills for the Fang, she pretty much stopped trying to improve and just stuck with what was needed of her at the time.

"Well, never hurts to keep training as my mom says," Naruto mused as he looked over to Ren; "And you pal?"

"My semblance helps me avoid detection."

"So like a super ninja stealth mode," Ruby stated starry eyed which again made both Naruto and Yang laugh at the adorableness.

"In a way" The green garbed teen replied. "I can enter a state in which my emotions are calmed to the point it seems I'm not feeling anything. Grimm can't sense me, not even see me, when I am in that state"

Naruto whistled at that. "That's some awesome sneaking ability right there"

Ren continued. "I can even extend that 'shrouding' to other people by physical contact. Or even at some distance if I concentrate enough"

Blake tapped her chin in thought. "Interesting…" Ren's abilities could be of great use with the right strategy.

Nora raised her hand like she was in class; "Oh, oh! I can absorb electricity" She flexed her arms proudly. "If I get shocked, I can hit ten times as hard!"

Naruto shivered at that, he didn't want to imagine a stronger Nora.

"She first discovered her Semblance by putting her fingers on an outlet" The martial artist drawled with annoyance as he gave the Valkyrie a disapproving look. The kind a parent gives a misbehaving child. "Regardless of me telling her not to..."

"First, it helped in the end" The hammer wielder replied defiantly. "Second" She then blew a raspberry at him.

 _'Okay, maybe that explains the craziness,'_ Yang mentally muttered.

Meanwhile Naruto was making a mental note on assuring that both Nora and Abby never meet while doing mission in the wilds. The sheer level of madness combining together just spelled the apocalypse for Remnant in the fox boy's mind.

"What about you Weiss" The blond fox asked the heiress. "What can your magic stuff do?"

The blue eyed girl looked at him with irritation and annoyance. "First of all, it is NOT 'magic'" She felt calling the Schnee refined craft as some parlor trick was a grave insult.

"I've seen people who turn into animals and other creatures with their Semblance" He replied. "Not to mention summon things out of thin air. I'd say 'magic' applies to stuff like yours"

The heiress fought back a growl but decided not to argue. "If you must now, the Schnee line possesses a hereditary Semblance. We are able to conjure glyphs for various effects, particularly when mixed with Dust" She proudly explained her lineage's power, making Blake roll her eyes. "Gravity, elemental manipulation, and forms of empowerment such as time-dilation"

"Time-what now;" Ruby prompted in confusion.

"By using my glyphs I can increase the speed and reaction time of others"

"Ohhh that's so awesome!" The small red reaper gushed. "If you use that on me I could be twice as fast!"

"It does sound like it could provide several advantages" Pyrrha added. "The versatility of your Semblance could be a game-changer on several situations"

Weiss smiled with just a tinge of haughtiness. "In fact, my Semblance even allows me to summon Elementals"

If the others weren't impressed before, they sure were now. "Woah, for real;" Naruto was astounded, he had no idea that Semblance could be so versatile and powerful. "I've fought with and against summons before, they're a helluva strong"

Yang drawled. "With all that you're starting to sound overpowered..."

The fencer gave her a look. "Says Miss 'I can bench-press ten times my weight and punch anything into pulp'"

A brief argument would have broken out had Jaune not thought of something. "Wait, why didn't you use summon during the test?"

For the first time since they've known her, the heiress actually looked embarrassed. Some would have thought she even looked a bit ashamed. "I um... I have yet to reach that ability with my glyphs"

To the heiress surprise Naruto gave some encouragement; "Well that's why there is training."

"This is not like learning martial arts or weapons training," Weiss countered; "summoning involves mental focus."

"Then meditate," Ren spoke up; "Centering your mind and soul."

"I do it, it's great" Stunned eyes pan over to Naruto. "What?"

"When?" Both Blake and Yang ask together.

"When I wake up early," the blond Uzumaki said simply.

"You just..." Pyrrha carefully tried to put into words what she was thinking. "Don't seem the type"

"I take offense to that" He sniffed, crossing his arms. Even though she was totally right.

"Did your mother teach you?" The Faunus in disguise asked. Kushina did not seem the type.

"Hah!" Naruto barked a laugh. "Oh no! Hell no!" He continued laughing for a bit. "Look, my mom's a great teacher when it comes to physical training and discipline. But the whole 'peace with mind and soul', heh, she's all about punching people" The fox boy smiled fondly. "Nah, I learned meditation and other type of discipline from someone else"

That got everyone curious; "So you have a teacher?" Ruby asked earning a nod; "Who is it?"

"I'll show you guys the old coot when we go the wild lands for mission. If we're near where he lives I'll take you to meet him."

Blake gave him a deadpanning look; "You call your teacher 'the old coot'?"

"Because he's old as hell. And only I can call him that since I'm his apprentice," Naruto snorted as he remembered the day he met the old man; "He's unique, I'll say that."

"One of a kind huh?" Yang smirked.

"Heh, you could say that. Bastard's one of the most stubborn people I've met. You won't believe the amount of stuff I had to do for him to even consider training me"

"Did it involve begging?" The brawler playfully asked.

"He made say how much more awesome he was compared to me, yes..."

Shaking his head, Naruto stirred his cerulean to Ruby; "You basically have the same semblance as Grey, just with flower petals with yours though. If what I remember from what my boss told me you got a bit more to learn with it."

Quite a few sweatdropped seeing the young reaper all starry eyed; "That is so cool~"

"Kinda weird you make those petals though" Jaune brought up.

"I think it looks cool" Nora threw in.

Ren clarified. "It's not unusual for Semblances to leave residual energy in some form"

"Don't really know why that happens" To prove her point, Ruby stood up and suddenly became a blur around the room. The whole place was suddenly showered in rose petals. "It just does"

"Interesting..." Pyrrha mused as she picked up one of the petals and rubbed it against her fingers. It felt like residual aura energy, she suspected if she were they would vanish into particles in the air soon enough.

Weiss on her part was not pleased with the demonstration. "You just filled the room with petals!" Cleaning it would be a nightmare.

XxX ~ three years ago ~ XxX

'You would think after taking over this old military base they'd put some maps up as to not get lost, dattebane,' _Kushina mentally mused/grumbled as she walked through one the halls of the Journeyman HQ._

 _When they first started their militia, they had successfully captured and secured this massive and well-fortified base built into a mountainside from a warlord. It was rather impressive in the redhead's opinion on how they turned this place into a well-oiled machine. Also reminded her of home in some ways._

 _A light pang struck her heart, Konoha..._

 _So much had happened before and after her death. Their old friends, her late husband, she cried most of the night after Naruto has spoken about the Uchiha Clan and her best friend Mikoto had been killed by Itachi of all people._

 _She wanted answers. She wanted to claim justice for the ones responsible for everything, to make things right._

 _But she couldn't. Konoha was literally a world away. Perhaps even a universe away..._

 _She had left another home. Her only comfort was Naruto, being able to share her son's life, after the literal miracle pulled by two gods. Kushina felt beyond grateful for that... Yet a part of her couldn't help but miss her old life, her friends, everything she had fought for. Their heritage, their lost ancestral home that Naruto would never see._

 _Uzushio, the legacy of their clan, had never felt so distant..._

 _Thus why she dedicated her life in teaching her son everything she knew of Uzu and all the skills she was taught. But also making up for the lost years she missed while Naruto was an orphan. It was her duty as his mother, which was why she had spent majority of her time while here with him._

 _Naruto had even mentioned to get out more and enjoy herself. Her son was such a sweet boy, but he didn't understand, she had to do this. After none had taken her son in, none had raised him; she had to make it right._

 _She never spent much time in HQ, despite the insistence of her fellow militia men and women. There was no reason for her to anyway. She just went there whenever she had an assignment; Places to recon out, Grimm to kill, certain dangerous people that needed taken care of._

 _Grey may be a morally righteous man, but he wasn't naive. He understood how someone of her 'talents' could be useful when dealing with things that required subtlety and, as much as he didn't like it, wet work. Kushina didn't mind, she'd just do her job and provide for her and Naruto, protecting the people who had taken them in. Nothing else mattered._

 _But today, she was here for something different. The sword she had been provided for by the Journeyman had long since run its course. The long blade now had its fair share of indents, cracks, and had lost a lot of its cutting power. Sharpening it would most likely result in the whole thing breaking._

 _Kushina needed to see their best smith for a new proper weapon. A Leon something. She didn't remember the name very well._

 _The beautiful foxy redhead brightened upon hearing the sound of a hammer hitting against an anvil. Ah she recalled the blacksmiths back home on Uzu and Konoha, it'd be interesting to see if this guy was up to part. Upon turning a corner whatever Kushina was about to say died in her throat as she froze in place._

 _The man working at the forge was tall, taller than Jiraiya with strong well defined muscles, a broad back, fair skin with shoulder length pale blond hair. Her violet eyes could see every movement of his back muscles even through the guy's shirt. She could see the definition in the man's arms as he worked on a hot piece of metal he pulled from the forge._

 _She couldn't move; her heart felt like it was running a marathon as she could not stop staring._

 _She was no stranger to attractive men, but she had long since decided she was out of game after Minato's death. Sometimes it felt very unfair that he wasn't with them, but understood the circumstances behind it. Kushina knew she shouldn't push her luck against defying the death gods. But it didn't make it any easier._

 _Honestly, even if she did find someone attractive, she made it a point to never make it go beyond physical appreciation. Not even if it was just to relieve stress. She was comfortable with her memory of Minato._

 _But gods, she couldn't remember the last time she met a man as handsome as that one. Arms swelling with each strike of the hammer, veins bulging under the skin. There was a... fire in his eyes, which reflected the sparks of work. A sheer focus on his task, tampering the metal with such determination. Almost like nothing existed beyond him and his forge._

 _A handsome almost chiseled face with a cleft chin and sharp cheekbones, she became disappoint when he stopped working till his azure blue eyes turned to her; "Can I help you?" While his voice was deep it was also very mellow in tone._

 _The man lifted a brow as the fox woman looked like she was trying to learn how to speak; "I-I, my name is Kushina. And you're Leon..."_

 _"Cerise, Leon Cerise. So you're the new girl I've been hearing about, you joined up with your son right?" he started working again. "Welcome to the Journeymen."_

 _"T-T-Thanks," What the hell! Since when did Kushina Uzumaki started stammering and stuttering like some shy princess?! "U-Uh Grey said to c-come to you for a new sword." Oh yes good first impression._

 _"I make a lot of swords" He said while hammering. "What kind do you prefer?"_

 _"A katana" At least she didn't stuttered then. "Something light and sharp"_

 _"Folded metal huh?" The blacksmith sounded interesting. "Haven't made one of those in a long while" Leon shifted his gaze to her. "Any specifications on the metal?"_

 _"Uhhhh..." Oh great, the stuttering was back. "I don't... really know about how a sword is made" She rubbed her arm sheepishly._

 _Leon shrugged; "Okay, I do have some new ore I've been waiting to work with. Might as well use them and make you a damn good sword," he gave her a small grin. Oh gods her heart wouldn't stop pounding so hard._

 _A shaky thumbs up came from Kushina; "T-T-That be awesome dattebane." She blushed, why did her verbal tick just had to come out at the worst times?!_

 _"Dattebane..." The tall blond blinked; "is that even a word?"_

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

And cut! Well that was fun eh? Oh and for anyone wondering Leon is based off Alexander Skarsgard. Allons-y!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: we do not own RWBY or Naruto

Co-author & Beta: etheral-23

 _ **Ethereal-23: So… this is a shorter chapter than we usually do, but there is a reason to it.**_

 _ **We are EXTREMELY unsatisfied with this chapter. We don't blame you if you don't like it. We barely do.**_

 _ **We thought of rewriting it, but honestly it wouldn't have been much different…**_

 _ **Honestly we just want to get this over with and move on to other stuff. Next chapter we'll do things better.**_

Chapter 6

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Hei Xiong, AKA Junior, really wanted to make this shot triple, but he couldn't afford to get buzzed right now. This was a shame as he really needed something to take the edge off him. As he sat on a table at a corner of the club, which was still undergoing repairs, he could only run a hand over his face and curse his bad luck.

The other night had been a complete disaster. He already felt conflicted enough to having lent Roman Torchwick of all people some of his men... but the White Fang had been making trouble for the gang lately, and costed them no small amount of money. The sniveling bowler wearing hat weasel had paid up front, the money was good, very good.

...He just hoped Don Falcone was as understanding.

Torchwick and the Falcone family had... 'History'. He had started as a grunt who worked his way up, ending up on Don Vincente's good graces. Then one day Torchwick went behind the don's back, and made something the criminal underground of Vale collectively considered to be stupidly suicidal, or suicidality stupid.

Torchwick betrayed Don Vincente.

The details were best to be left alone, as that wasn't a subject their boss ever liked to remember. Nobody was dumb enough to piss Falcone off by just bringing it up.

It had been a gamble on Junior's part, but he ordered his men to do what Torchwick said, then get his money and capture him so they could bring him to Don Vincente... and maybe it would have worked if any of his men had returned.

Junior screwed up. The only way things could have gotten worse was if someone decided to duke it out in the middle of their club- Ohhhhh wait.

Fucking blondes, fucking redheads and fucking bandits...

Downing the last of his shot, he looked over the Malachite twins. Miltia was doing her nails while Melanie was idly browsing her Scroll, like they didn't have a care in the world. And frankly, it got to his nerves that here they were so relaxed after they epically failed to beat down those troublemakers while he could currently feel every single one of his hairs slowly turning gray.

He slammed the hand on the table, startling them. "You two better take seriously when Don Vincente gets here. He's already pissed when he heard how you couldn't stop that rabble the other night"

"Hey" The red dressed sister sneered in that typical aloof teen fashion. "Wasn't our fault things turned out like that"

"And besides" The white dressed sister brought up. "We weren't the only ones who screwed up. NOR were we the ones that made a deal with Torchwick"

"And WE" He stressed. "Are gonna to salvage this. Spin the story to our favor" Junior tiredly runs a hand over his thick beard. "We gotta remain on Don Vincente's good graces, been working for him for years and I ain't gonna ruin that now" He sternly waved a finger at them. "And remember it's thanks to him that you two won't have to strip at some dirty run down club"

A heated glare came from Melanie while Miltia remained impassive; "We are well aware who saved us. And it wasn't you, it was thanks to Don Falcone that we are not shaking our tits and asses."

Junior's eyes twitched as Melanie took over; "You however are an informer and middleman, and I can list a dozen in Mr. Falcone's employ that are leagues above you in those skills."

The red dressed twin leans over; "And while yes we are your bodyguards per Mr. Falcone's orders, it does not mean we save your backside when you pull a stupid stunt like giving Roman men. We are loyal to Mr. Falcone, not you."

The tall man was about to retort harshly till a smooth deep baritone voice spoke; "Well spoken," Junior sat ramrod straight in his chair; "I always could count on you girls for your honesty."

Every single mobster in the club seemed to freeze in place, their eyes immediately went to the club's entrance. They scurried swiftly in line, their hands joined in front of them while they kept their heads bowed.

Expensive leather shoes slowly tapped against the club's floor with each step. Black pants were held tightly against the waist by a belt with a lovely carved silver buckle. The person wore an elegant black business suit with a black tie and a red undershirt. Over his shoulders was a black overcoat. The upper half of his face was hidden by a tipped fedora, graying dark hair formed around his mouth in a goatee.

On his arms were two lovely ladies in heels and low-cut evening dresses. The one on his right arm was dark skinned and had wavy long dark locks, while the one on his left was of lighter skin and her hair was a shorter bright orange, with the most distinctive features being two tiger ears standing up on top of her head.

The man lifted his gaze, and Junior was met with two soft brown eyes. Don Vincente regarded him with perfect neutrality.

The club handler immediately got to his feet and approached the don and respectfully bowed to kiss his hand. "Don Falcone"

"Junior" The mob boss greeted back.

The bearded man stood straight and adjusted his tie nervously. "W-We weren't expecting for at least one more hour"

"My previous appointment took less time than expected"

The ladies detached from his arms while Junior made the chair at the table ready for his boss to sit. He blinked upon seeing the don standing in front of the twins. "I heard you both were beaten quite harshly. How are you?"

"We will be alright Mr. Falcone," the sisters respond in unison.

Gently he tapped their cheeks before turning around walking to the table, taking Junior's seat. "Sit down Junior," nervously the club owner obeyed, feeling the presence of the two ladies behind him; "Please explain to me the events that lead to my club being in this state?"

"Uh well, this wild lander showed up. Said he was some Warlord who wanted to make a deal with you," Why did it feel hot in here? Falcone said nothing as he took out a cigar from his inner pocket, the moment he put it in his mouth Melanie was already at his side with a lit match. "I told him we don't deal with slavers, and then this blond girl showed up, and some fox woman of the Journeymen."

"The Red Death," Miltia corrected.

"Yeah her, and all hell broke loose," Junior adjusted his tie again. Gods he needed a drink right now.

The don blew out some smoke from his cigar as he stared quietly; "So would you say General Wilhelm is trying to encroach on my turf?"

Junior stammered; "Uh I-I doubt that sir. I think he only sent Red Death for that no named warlord."

"I see..." Junior's eyes nearly flew from their sockets as the tiger Faunus smacked him hard on the back of the head; "Now let's talk about Roman Torchwick..."

Oh crap...

"What" The boss drew out each word slowly, "in the hell, compelled you to lend him some of my men?" His tone was as cold as the grave.

The henchmen in the club tried to make themselves as scares as possible.

The stammering intensified. "Um, w-w-well" Junior cleared his throat, trying to swallow down the lump that had formed there. "I thought we could lay a trap for him. T-Told the men to apprehend him once he was done with whatever job he had in mind, get him and the money he would have made"

Don Falcone merely raised an eyebrow at Junior while his darker skinned escort poured some liquor into the boss's glass.

"It... It sounded simple in paper"

"I see" Vincente smacked his lips and nodded. "And in practice?"

For a second, Junior was unable to meet the don's gaze.

The mob boss clicked his tongue. "The men are dead aren't they?"

"They uh" Junior cleared the sweat off his forehead with a tissue. "They never came back, no..."

Vincente looked to the twins; "The Golden Fox was also in Vale that night. Ironically he was at the shop where our men and Roman went to," Melanie clarified as she sat back beside her sister.

"Hmm," the don tapped his chin; "so not only did you help Roman, he killed off our men after they failed him. All for this scheme to lure that traitor into some half-baked plan?"

Junior felt like hiding somewhere or sinking into the floor with the calm rage coming from his boss's eyes. While it was widely known Don Falcone was neither a violent man nor one to lose his temper, the same did not apply to some of Vincente's men. Namely the escorts who were also guards of the don. One wrong word and both ladies would gladly tear him to shreds.

"The Red death and the Golden Fox show up at me doorstep all the while Torchwick is trying to sneak through my window," the don sips his drink.

"...I take full responsibility" Junior bowed his head in shame. "Don Vincente"

"Well I don't expect otherwise" The boss replied, as if it were obvious. "I might pick up another person to run this place instead, someone who would just shoot Roman the moment he sees him" He commented while looking at his glass and softly shaking it.

Junior mentally sighed in defeat. No way was he ever going to fix this for Don Vincente.

"But... you've been loyal for years and have worked tirelessly for this family" Vincente admitted. "And you knew where to tell that two-bit slaver where to shove his offer, what happened afterward was something beyond your control. You could not account for that woman to come here"

The information dealer looked at the don in surprise, relief flooding his being. Maybe he wasn't done for as he thought.

"However..." The don made a point of sending a stern look at Junior. "Your little 'deal' is still something that costed us men, don't think you can get out of this scot free. You're going to have to work extra hard if you want to remain on this family"

Junior nodded quickly; "Yes sir, I understand."

"Good," Vincente briefly smiled before breathing out some smoke from his cigar. "Now, the White Fang are making a mess in my territory…"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Weiss liked to consider herself a morning person. But to anyone who took two seconds to look at her would realize her gaze was unfocused and she didn't seem to pay much attention to her surroundings. If she had then she would have avoided what was about to happen.

She rose from bed and stretched, fighting back a yawn as that was very unlady-like, and made her way to the bathroom as she rubbed her eyes. Had she paid attention to the room, Weiss would have realized a certain hammock bed was empty, and that the water from the bathroom was running.

So the snow haired teen opened the door and entered, shutting it close behind her.

Nearly one second later and two screams rocked their bedroom, one male and another female.

Another second later and Weiss bursted out of the bathroom, shutting the door with a slam, her back extremely rigid to the point she was shaking in place. Mouth half open in horror and her face a fierce red.

Three heads shot up from their pillows; "What's wrong?!"

Her heart felt like it was pounding in her as the heiress said nothing. The three other ladies of the dorm room gave a long look at her as she looked like she was hyperventilating. "N-n-n-nothing..." She quietly stuttered, quietly muttering to herself something inaudible.

Yang leaned head from her bed to look at Blake and then to her sister; "What did she say?"

Ruby shrugged while Blake's feline ears picked up Weiss's words as she looked to the hammock; "She saw Naruto naked."

"Really?!" Yang was stupefied. "Man, she's so lucky..."

Weiss stiffly went over to her bed, and buried herself underneath the covers. Two large glyphs appeared at the side and edge of the bed, closing her off from the rest of the world so she could pretend nothing had happened and erase the last minute from her memory.

"She's taking it well..." Blake deadpanned. The heiress must be the most sheltered girl of the team.

"I don't get it" Ruby scratched her face. "What's the deal if she saw a guy naked?"

On the other hand...

Yang and Blake exchanged a look. "W-Well, Ruby" Yang stammered. "It's cause guys... well you know they uh... they" Rather than suck it up and act like an older sister, Yang chickened out completely. "Oh hey Blake we have to do that thing!" She moved so fast that if people saw her, they would question which sister had the super speed. In the blink of an eye she was already dressed in uniform and dragged Blake out of the room.

"Huh" The small reaper could only watch at the closed door from where her teammates had so hastily left. "Well, there's always dad I can ask"

Neither Taiyang nor Yang knew it yet, or more like they knew but never wanted to acknowledge it and face reality, but more awkward conversations awaited them in their future. Such was the trials of raising a growing fifteen year old girl.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Trying to put the... 'Incident' behind them, Weiss and Naruto sat as far away from each other as possible, avoiding direct eye contact. Things couldn't be more awkward right now; they refused to speak to each other unless they absolutely had to.

For once, Naruto actually tried paying attention to class to pay to take his mind off that... and boy was his head spinning.

Oobleck reminds Naruto too much of Lee and Gai for his liking. The man was like a hamster on caffeine, darting from one way across the room to another in a burst of speed that could match Ruby. He was a green and white blur and gods he talked so, so very fast...

Yeah, he was just going to borrow somebody else's notes on the history class. As he himself barely picked up half the things the professor tried to teach them.

He tried to make himself scarce when Oobleck began asking questions, lowering his ears and sinking slowly into his seat. As he had ZERO idea of Remnant's history. He knew the basics of the Great War and Faunus Rights Revolution, but he didn't know the details of said conflicts.

The professor ended up asking Jaune, and the poor boy seemed as clueless as Naruto himself was. Pyrrha, bless her, tried to help him by signaling him the answers with her hands, but just embarrassed himself before the class.

The professor ended up asking someone else, and the answer made Naruto's teeth clench. "Well, I know it's easier to train an animal than a soldier"

Cardin Winchester. Oh how he'd love to shove his fist so deep into that asshole's mouth he'd break every teeth, if not for the fact he might get expelled for assaulting another student. The guy was a douche, plain and simple. He remembered vividly how he and his teammates were picking on a rabbit Faunus on the cafeteria. Already he had several reprimands from various professors but that didn't seem to stop him.

Cardin had developed a liking for picking on Jaune, ranging from throwing the blonde's books to the floor, to outright locking him in one of the rocket-propelled lockers and making it blast off. There was nothing Naruto wanted more right now than to kick his ass and desperately hoped Jaune would show some spine. Already he worried a lot about the other blonde's capabilities as a fighter.

After another reprimand from a teacher (seriously, how wasn't he expelled yet?), this time from Oobleck, the history professor went on another tangent for the class.

"Now, as it is the case for most of Remnant's ancient history. Very little is known as about Faunus' origins and early history. The closest thing we have to an old centralized faunus civilization is the Avkani tribes, whom are spread throughout Eastern and Western Sannus"

"Grey told me about them" Naruto whispered to Ruby. "Never met them myself, says they're cool people of if you show them respect"

The professor continued. "I myself have tried investigating more on Faunus history by personally interviewing members of Avkani tribes south of Vale's borders"

Blake perked up noticeably at that. "You've talked to the Avkani, professor?"

Oobleck cleared his throat. "Well, 'talked' is a strong word. I tried to say something in their language to be polite and show respect to their culture. Must have said something very offensive because next thing I know they were throwing spears and arrows at me"

Both Naruto and Blake face-faulted to that

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

As team RWBYN and JNPR, back in their normal clothes, made their way to the kitchen lounge rather than the main cafeteria, Ruby lightly played with the hem of her skirt; "Has anyone ever been mean to you, for being a Faunus?" she asked Naruto beside her.

"You asking because that caffeine nut professor brought it up?" the Uzumaki shrugged; "Only a few bigots ever bugged me, less had the balls to get in my face about it. The few who did ended up with a broken jaw. The only major grief I ever gotten is in the kingdoms on occasions. In the wilds you have more important things to worry about than race of the person next to you."

"People can be blind and ignorant" Pyrrha said with regret and exasperation in her voice. "The Grimm are the greatest threat to the world, why waste time fighting among ourselves for baseless things?"

"Might as well ask why some people don't get along" Yang replied with shrug. "Some people are just assholes, simple as that"

"I... doubt it's as baseless as that, Yang" Blake tried to tactfully point the flaw in her argument.

But the brawler was adamant in her view apparently. "Sure it is. People are just dumb"

"Amen sister," Naruto and Yang give a low high five as they enter the lounge. Blake only sighed as she shook her head.

"Pancakes…" Nora drawled as she slouched forward.

"Nora, your drooling," Ren said absently beside her.

"It's lunch time" Weiss droned. "Why are you thinking of pancakes?"

"Because they are sweet rolls of pure heavenly deliciousness~" The hammer wielding maniac sing-songed.

"...I'm thinking pasta" The heiress ignored the orange haired girl. "Does anyone want pasta?"

"Hmm, I could go for some" Pyrrha smiled at the thought.

"Count me in" Ruby agreed.

Nora was aghast. "Why are you people dissing the pancakes?!"

Ren sighed. "I'll cook you pancakes later, Nora"

"Yay~!" She hopped in joy.

Naruto deadpanned at the martial artists. "You spoil her too much"

"It's the only way she'll remain calm"

As the two teams entered they soon took notice someone else had also come in and was already cooking. A fellow female student with long brunette hair and a pair of rabbit ears on her head. Turning she lightly 'eep' as she was quite pretty in Naruto opinion. Then his mind soon recognized the girl as her shy brown eyes looked at them all; "Oh hey, you're in class with us."

"Uh..," The rabbit faunus spoke almost timidly; "Yes, Nice to meet you. Velvet Scarlatina, 2nd year." Velvet lightly blushed.

"Wait" The heiress looked at her in confusion, a sentiment shared by the others. "Why is a 2nd year in the same class with 1st years?" Weiss asked.

Blake glared at the white themed girl. "Don't be rude"

The bunny ears dropped as a sign of sadness and shame. It was a honestly all too adorable and quite a few of the teens felt compelled to give her a hug.

"I got behind in history..." She muttered. Her voice was quite accented as they came to realize. The way her brown eyes shifted and her mouth pouted made look even more adorable if that was possible. "And a... few other classes"

"...I don't know what this wonderful creature of cuteness is" Yang spoke up. "But can we take her back with us?" She asked with hope in her voice.

Naruto only squinted while Blake rubbed her eyes; "She's not a pet Yang," the hidden Faunus drawls.

"I'm waiting for my team actually. We're meeting in here today." Oh please gods don't let them stay, she was having a really bad day today and she couldn't handle any more pressure, particularly that which came from meeting new people.

Ruby smiled; "Then we can wait with you."

Oh crap…

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Ruby was courteous enough to introduce the two teams. Velvet felt her mind was spinning; she was never good at dealing with things like... people. Uhhhh having more than four pairs of eyes was enough to make her feel under pressure. She had to calm herself by remembering Coco's words. Deep breaths. Project confidence. Don't let them know how nervous you are. Then talk about something interesting and everything would be okay!

…Velvet suddenly remembered she had no idea of how to start conversations. All Coco ever talked was fashion sense that went in over the Faunus's head. So, plan B; Nod along and listen, and pray the others get here soon.

"So who are your teammates?" Ruby asked beside her sister as she smiled to Velvet.

"U-uh well we're called team CVFY. There's Coco Adel are leader, Fox Alistair, myself, and Yatsuhashi Daichi. They're really good people," the shy brunette smiled thinking of her friends.

At hearing the affection in her tone Naruto grinned; "Glad to hear."

Swallowing down her food before she spoke, Pyrrha asked; "Being 2nd year means you have been out in the field much like Naruto, have you seen much combat?"

Velvet nodded; "We have been on a lot of missions in the wilds. E-even encountered y-your group," she meekly looks to Naruto; "And occasionally the Brotherhood."

At that Naruto snorted while drinking his water; "Hopefully you met the nicer ones, I keep running into assholes most the time."

"They're not bad people" The bunny Faunus defended.

"Don't need to be one to be a jackass" He countered.

That got a couple of looks from his teammates; most of the time the Brotherhood came up in conversations Naruto barely had anything good to say about them.

"Geez whiskers, what did they do to you?" Yang prompted with curiosity as she leaned back in her chair with an arm behind the back.

"Nothing to ME personally" The foxy blonde replied. "But they have this high and mighty attitude, and the ones I met always expect something from the people they save. Always on and on with their damn Codex and their faith"

"They convert people?" Weiss questioned.

Naruto shrugged. "They don't knock down people's doors to go looking for 'infidels' if that's what you're asking. But they prefer it when places under their control start following their faith and lend their resources"

Blake could relate. She remembered the peaceful days of the White Fang, when they traveled all over Remnant in protests, trying to make a difference. They often made stops at towns in the Wilds; there they would sometimes run into the knights. They acted with such superiority and so little care for the plights of the Faunus. Even if they had Faunus in their ranks, Blake doubted they had it much better in their ranks than in the cities.

Then, when the White Fang sought more direct results, the Brotherhood became aggressive towards their group.

But there was something else in Naruto's voice, a grudge. Almost personal. "It sounds your dislike goes deeper than that" The Faunus in disguise pointed out.

"Well, there's also what they did to Io-" He suddenly cut himself off, eyes widening slightly before shifting around hesitantly. He cleared his throat and continued. "You know what? It's none of my business to say it. Forget about it"

"So what is your team like Velvet;" bless Ruby for changing the subject.

At that the rabbit Faunus blinked; "Well Fox is pretty easy going, but he's not much of a talker. Yatsuhashi is always really sweet to me. Coco is really into fashion."

Ren leaned a little over while Nora munched down on her plate pasta; "And in combat?"

"They're amazing," Velvet says brightly.

"Oh my, my ears are burning~!" A feminine voice spoke up at the entrance.

Turning, the group saw three newcomers. A rather and tall very attractive young woman, a teenage girl with fair skin, short dark-brown hair, and dark-brown eyes. She had wavy locks on one side of her face, dyed with a gradient that starts in dark brown and transitions to caramel.

Her clothes consisted of a long, cocoa-colored shirt with a dark brown waist clincher. She wore long, dark brown trousers with ribbons on the left side and a brown belt with bullets. Above it, she wore another cocoa-colored belt of bullets with a gold cross-hairs buckle. What appeared to be a drape of black skirt hung on her right side. She wore a pair of dark brown, high-heeled leather boots with buckles.

She also donned a number of accessories, such a bracelet with black roses as decoration; these were accompanied by black gloves and necklaces. She wore a beret of a darker brown and a pair of black, wire-rimmed aviator sunglasses. She held a black shoulder bag with gold studs, which was held by a bandolier strap.

The second person was a teenage boy with dark skin and dark, messy copper hair that had a long fringe and a cowlick. He wore a sleeveless, muted orange zipper vest with black lining and a high collar, a pair of black jeans, and brown, laced shoes. His eyes were the most defining trait of his person, appearing to be pure white, giving off the appearance that he was blind. His arms were covered in scars, along with another vertical scar on his lips.

Finally, the last was a very tall and athletic-looking young man, with shaved-short black hair and tanned skin, wearing mostly pale-green and brown attire. He had a long short-sleeved robe, which he wore on one shoulder over a black muscle shirt. The robe was fastened at the waist by a leather armored belt with two pouches on it. He also wore brown pants and black-and-green boots. His left arm was covered by a five-layer Sode which extends up past his shoulder. He also wore a pair of bracers as well as a pair of black gloves with green plates on the backs.

Velvet brightened; "This is my team. Fox, Yatsuhashi, and-," the rabbit Faunus blinked now seeing her leader had bee-lined over to Yang and Weiss.

"OH! I remember you two, the first years that actually had real fashion sense," Coco gushed.

Blake had to roll her eyes at how pleased Weiss was with taking in all the admiration, Yang wasn't any better, this 'fashionista' was stroking their egos.

"Honey, white is really a great them for you" She said to Weiss before lowering her shades and looking at Yang. "And you, I can't blame you for showing off"

"Well, I work out" Yang not so humbly spoke with a wide smirk on her face.

Coco's teammates rolled their eyes in unison. It was hard to tell for Fox, but his head moving in the same direction as them indicated he shared their exasperation.

The leader of CVFY looked over to Ruby; "Hmm, cute gothic girl style. I guess it suits you" She froze when she saw Blake. "Oh honey..." She sounded so pitying; she tapped her lips with a finger as she observed the darkly dressed girl. "Oh that won't do at all"

Blake was confused. "I'm... sorry?"

"Well you should be!" Coco exclaimed as she placed her hands on her hips. "That gear is functional and all, but sweetheart it just doesn't do anything for you..."

"Show off that beautiful stomach, your sexy girl, flaunt it," Coco remarked in the most serious tone; "though legs are gorgeous, the right tight pants will really show it!"

The hidden Faunus only blushed, Coco soon set her sights on Naruto; "Hmm. Maybe less clothes, or none at all," the shades wearing brunette smirked.

"COCO!" Velvet blushed wildly waving her arms.

"All day shirtless works for me," Yang deciding to speak her mind on the matter. "Trust me, those muscles are _hard_ ," she purred out the last word. This made a few females at the table blush.

The words 'Clothes' and 'None at all' were enough to bring highly suppressed thoughts to the foremost of Weiss's mind. She blushed like a tomato and suddenly stood up.

"Well, I'm going to get ahead on my homework!" And left before anyone could say anything.

They just stared at where she left in silence for a moment.

Coco then sat where the heiress had previously sat on and served herself some of the leftovers from the white girl's plate. "So what are we having?"

Naruto sighed. Beacon sure was interesting.

XxX ~ A few years ago ~ XxX

 _Naruto considered himself a brave person. He had faced death in the past, both in this world and his old one. He'd stared off deadly ninja whose skills were leagues above his own and survived, he faced a giant sand Tanuki demon, and battled to save his friend from becoming Orochimaru's slave._

 _Now in Remnant he faced monsters of darkness, soulless abominations which wanted nothing more than to destroy all of humanity. He faced the big and the small, the fast and the strong, all without backing down._

 _"Goooood morning dear passengers, this is your captain speaking~" Came the cheery voice through the intercom, though the cabin was open, and one could feel the smile coming off that trucker hat wearing man flying the plane._

 _But never, in his entire life, had Naruto felt as much terror as he did now..._

 _"You should relax Naruto," a man with reddish-brunette hair with a slouch hat on his head and an eye-patch spoke up with a unique accent. A lit cigarette hanged from his mouth as his good green eye gazed over at his team's extra help._

 _"How the fuck can you be relaxed! How the hell did you convince me using a plane for an assault on a bandit stronghold was goddamn good idea!" The blond fox boy paused as turbulence in the form of an AA gun firing at them from the bandit stronghold was not helping the young Uzumaki one bit; "AND WHY ARE YOU JUST SITTING THERE PIP! WE'RE NOSEDIVING!"_

 _The eye-patched man just took a drag of his cigarette and let the smoke out in a satisfied sigh. "It's all part of the plan my friend"_

 _"...WHAT KIND OF PLAN INVOLVES NOSEDIVING A PLANE INTO A BANDIT FORTRESS?!" The plan shook as an explosion basted too close for his liking. "WHEN THEY HAVE ANTI-AIR WEAPONS?!"_

 _"Would you please stop freaking out?!" A female voice called next to him in the same row of sits. Her long bright orange hair was tied in a high pony tail. She wore a blue form fitting suit with several pouches on her legs and waist, and a grey coat over it. In her gloved hands she held a magazine; its contents eluded the blonde. Her most noticeable traits were her snake eyes, which glared at him with annoyance. "I'm trying to read here!"_

 _"OH GO TO HELL, KEYLA! HOW CAN YOU JUST SIT THERE AND READ WHEN WE'RE GOING TO PLUMMET TO OUR DEATHS?!"_

 _"And if look out to our left, engine one has failed," the pilot spoke up again in his cheery tone. "Oh by the way a gigantic Nevermore is still behind us~."_

 _Oh also, there was a giant Nevermore chasing after them_

 _"THAT IS NOT HELPING MURDOCH!" Why the hell did he agree going on a second mission with these lunatics?! It was supposed to be a routine mission last time. AND just like last time it degenerated into the cluster fuck of a small scale war!_

 _Seriously! Trouble had to be following these guys like an obsessed stalker!_

 _"Just count to ten, kiddo" The deep voice of Bill tried to assure him. "It'll be fine" Bill was a big guy, dark skinned, and broad shouldered and muscular. He dressed in camo under body armor, a plate on his chest, arms, shoulders and legs, all with the same camo pattern. His hair was long curly, the same could be said of his thick long beard, which earned him the nickname everyone knew him as, 'Curly Bill'._

 _He had to be the sanest member of the group (but that didn't mean much on this company...), most likely the one with the most experience, and Naruto could appreciate his attempts to calm him down. Although; "I honestly doubt how that is gonna help here"_

 _Desperate to cling to any safety line for his sanity, Naruto turned to the last member of this little 'posse'. "Come on Simo, you're with me on this right?"_

 _In Naruto's mind, the shrouded sniper, so hidden in cloak that not a single part of his body could be seen, uttered words of reassurement and like-mindedness. Easing the blonde's nerves and fears._

 _"Ahhh thank you man" Naruto breathed out in relief._

 _When in truth, Simo had not said a single thing. He never did. This was a clear sign of the toil this whole ordeal was taking on the fox teen._

 _Discarding his now finished cigarette, Pip lights a new one as he looked out the window lazily; "Hmm, how many of those bandit scum you see down there Bill?"_

 _Sitting beside Murdoch, Curly Bill looked through binoculars; "About sixty, that's double of what we were told." He paused, "Or this might be that main hub we've been looking for," Curly Bill soon checked his weapons._

 _At that Pip smiled; "Sixty bandit scum and one giant Nevermore Grimm. We're earning out paychecks for this one!"_

 _Simo only watched as Naruto looked like he was having a mental breakdown._

 _"Okay, okay" Naruto rocked back and forth in his seat. Soon they were gonna land, and finally be on the sweet, sweet ground. "How do we land?"_

 _"We don't" Pip replied as if that were obvious._

 _"...Huh?"_

 _Keyla folded the magazine and pocked it into her coat. "We're gonna crash the plane"_

 _Naruto blinked once. Twice. "So... the plan is to die?"_

 _"Pffft, get a load of this guy" The trucker hat wearing pilot snorted. "Thinks the plan is to kills us in a suicide bombing. He crazy or what?"_

 _There were so many things wrong with that last statement that Naruto wanted to refute. But that honestly wasn't his greatest concern right now._

 _"But... how are we gonna survive that?"_

 _Pip stood up, stretched his coat and calmly gripped one of the bars on the roof for support. Keyla followed suit, and Naruto nearly had a heart attack when Murdoch just left the cockpit, ignoring the controls going haywire, along with Bill._

 _The eye-patch wearing captain smirked at him. "We're going to jump, my friend"_

 _Everything was a blur afterwards. There was a lot of screaming, all his, Keyla jumping unto the Nevermore and reining it into submission with sharp wires, the plane crashing and exploding over the bandits._

 _Just another day in the office for the Hell Hounds regiment, as Naruto was starting to realize._

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

 _ **Pip's design is taken from, well, Pip from Hellsing**_

 _ **Keyla's design is from**_ _ **Elsa Bloodstone from Marvel comics.**_

 _ **And finally imagine**_ _ **Murdoch as Howling Mad Murdock from the A-Team**_


End file.
